Sample records for fe-based amorphous coatings

Metallic surface is intrinsically hydrophilic due to its high surface energy. In this work, we present a different picture that highly hydrophobic metallic coatings could be directly fabricated by thermal spraying of Fe-basedamorphous powders through the surface roughness control. These hydrophobic coatings are amorphous, exhibiting super-high hardness and excellent corrosion resistance. With low surface energy modification, the coatings become superhydrophobic and exhibit clearly self-cleaning effect. The present work opens a window for the applications of the amorphouscoatings.

Magnetic properties of Fe-basedamorphous ribbon with an inorganic coating of lithium silicate have been investigated in a single sheet at 50 Hz. The high-permeability characteristics of Fe-basedamorphous ribbons deteriorated by the coating and constant permeability of μ≅900 at H=900 A/m and μ≅330 at H=2500 A/m was obtained after annealing at 425 °C and 450 °C, respectively.

The effect of the glass coating on the single domain wall potential in amorphous glass-coatedFe-based microwire has been studied by the switching field distribution technique. The thermoactivated mechanism model is used to describe the thermally activated switching through the complex energy barrier in amorphous FeSiB microwires. Glass removal leads to the increase of the probability of the thermally activated switching pointing to the decrease of the energy barrier.

Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS™), a solid freeform fabrication technique, was employed for the processing of Fe-based bulk amorphous alloy (Fe BAA) powder on titanium. One and two layers of the Fe BAA were deposited with the same processing parameters. SEM and XRD analyses of the Fe BAA coatings revealed the retention of the feedstock powder's amorphous nature. The mixing of the feedstock powder in the titanium substrate was very small. A crystalline-amorphous composite microstructure evolved from the laser processing in all types of coatings. The coatings were further laser remelted. The amorphous character was found to increase and the crystallites were found to grow during remelting. The Fe BAA coatings showed higher hardness and smaller wear volume compared to the Ti substrate. A further increase in these properties was observed after laser remelting treatment. During the wear testing in NaCl solution, Ti substrate showed intergranular corrosion, whereas the Fe BAA coatings showed signs of low and localized fretting corrosion in a saline environment. Our results demonstrate that using LENS™, amorphouscoatings can be deposited on metallic substrates.

Amorphous composite coatings Fe 38Ni 30- XSi 16B 14V 2M X ( X = 0, 1, 2) (M contains Al, Ti, Mo, and C) were prepared with low purity of raw materials by laser cladding. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy results show that the coating have an amorphous structure with a few crystalline phase on it. The amorphous phase is the primary phase. The glass forming ability as well as the microhardness of the Fe-based alloy made from low purity raw materials can be much enhanced by adding small amount of multi-components. However, the elements addition has its optimal quantity. When X is equal to 1, the microstructure of the coating contains 97.93% amorphous phase and 2.07% crystalline phase on it. As a result, the microhardness of the coating reaches maximum. With further increasing of the additions, the amorphous phase in the coating lessens instead of augment and the crystalline phase begins to accumulate, which result in the decrease of the microhardness.

The current study focuses on synthesizing a novel functional coating for corrosion resistance applications, via laser surface alloying. The iron-based (Fe48Cr15Mo14Y2C15B) amorphous precursor powder is used for laser surface alloying on AISI 4130 steel substrate, with a continuous wave ytterbium Nd-YAG fiber laser. The corrosion resistance of the coatings is evaluated for different processing conditions. The microstructural evolution and the response of the microstructure to the corrosive environment is studied using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Microstructural studies indicate the presence of face-centered cubic Fe-based dendrites intermixed within an amorphous matrix along with fine crystalline precipitates. The corrosion resistance of the coatings decrease with an increase in laser energy density, which is attributed to the precipitation and growth of chromium carbide. The enhanced corrosion resistance of the coatings processed with low energy density is attributed to the self-healing mechanism of this amorphous system.

Iron-based amorphous materials, owing to their very high hardness, elastic modulus, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance, can be potential materials for surface modification and engineering of many structural alloys. The current study focuses on a novel functional coating, synthesized via laser cladding of an iron-based (Fe48Cr15Mo14Y2C15B) amorphous precursor powder, on AISI 4130 steel substrate, using a continuous-wave diode-pumped ytterbium laser. The coatings were characterized by different techniques like X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). SEM and TEM studies indicated the presence of Fe-based nanocrystalline dendrites intermixed within an amorphous matrix. A three-dimensional thermal modeling approach based on COMSOL Multiphysics (COMSOL Inc., Burlington, MA) was used to approximately predict the temperature evolution and cooling rates achieved during laser processing. The mechanisms for the formation of crystalline phases and the morphological changes in the microstructure were studied based on the thermal model developed. Although the thermal model predicted substantially high cooling rates as compared to the critical cooling rate required for retaining an amorphous phase, the formation of crystalline phases is attributed to formation of yttrium oxide, reducing the glass-forming ability, and formation of different oxide phases that act as heterogeneous nucleation sites resulting in the composite microstructure.

This review focuses on the recent development of iron (Fe)-basedamorphous/nanocrystalline composite coatings, which have attracted much attention due to their attractive combination of high hardness/strength, elevated abrasive wear resistance, and enhanced corrosion resistance. Accompanying the advancements in various thermal spray technologies, industrial application fields of Fe-basedamorphous/nanocrystalline composite coatings are becoming more diverse. In the main part, the typical empirical rules for the design of amorphous alloys with high glass-forming ability are generalized and discussed at first. Then various thermal spray technologies for the fabrication of Fe-basedamorphous/nanocrystalline composite coatings, such as high velocity oxygen/air spray (HVOF/HVAF), air plasma spray (APS), low-pressure plasma spray (LPPS), high-energy plasma spray (HPS), and high velocity arc spray (HVAS) processes, are introduced. The microstructures, hardness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance of Fe-basedamorphous/nanocrystalline composite coatings formed using these thermal spray technologies are reviewed and compared. Finally, the existing challenges and future prospects are proposed.

Amorphous metallic coatings with a composition of Fe48Cr15Mo14C15B6Y2 were fabricated by means of high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying process. The microstructure and wear performance of the coatings were characterized simultaneously in this article. It is found that the coatings present a dense layered structure with the porosity below 1.5%. The coatings primarily consist of amorphous matrix and some precipitated nanocrystals, though a fraction of Fe-rich phases and oxide stringers also formed during deposited process. High thermal stability enables the amorphouscoatings to work below 920 K temperature without crystallization. Depending on the structural advantage, the amorphouscoatings exhibit high average microhardness of 997.3 HV0.2, and excellent wear resistance during dry frictional wear process. The dominant wear mechanism of amorphouscoating under this condition is fatigue wear, leading to partial or entire flaking off of the lamellae. In addition, the appearance of oxidative wear accelerates the failure of fatigue wear.

In this study, the Fe41Co7Cr15Mo14C15B6Y2 bulk amorphous alloy with high glass-forming ability was prepared using the arc- melting copper mold casting technique, and corresponding amorphouscoating was obtained using the laser melt amorphous powders on the surface of carbon steel. The corrosion resistance performance of the laser cladding coating in hydrochloric acid was analyzed and tested in experiments under the conditions of different laser cladding speeds. The amorphous alloy coating with different fabrication parameters have the difference internal structure, which lead to the difference corrosion resistance in the same environment to some extent. The nature of amorphous alloy and the corrosion morphology were investigated using XRD and SEM method, respectively. The corrosion experiments showed that: when the laser power was 3300W, the corrosion resistance of four kinds of samples in hydrochloric acid from strong to weak as follows: as-cast sample > the coating with laser cladding speed 110 mm/min > the coating with laser cladding speed 120 mm/min > the coating with laser cladding speed 130 mm/min. The free corrosion current density of casting sample, sample 1, sample 2 and sample 3 is 3.304 × 10-6 A/cm2, 2.600×10-3 A/cm2, 2.030×10-3 A/cm2 and 3.396×10-4 A/cm2, respectively.

A Fe48Cr15Mo14C15B6Y2 alloy with high glass forming ability (GFA) was selected to prepare amorphous metallic coatings by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). The as-deposited coatings present a dense layered structure and low porosity. Microstructural studies show that some nanocrystals and a fraction of yttrium oxides formed during spraying, which induced the amorphous fraction of the coatings decreasing to 69% compared with amorphous alloy ribbons of the same component. High thermal stability enables the amorphouscoatings to work below 910 K without crystallization. The results of electrochemical measurement show that the coatings exhibit extremely wide passive region and relatively low passive current density in 3.5% NaCl and 1 mol/L HCl solutions, which illustrate their superior ability to resist localized corrosion. Moreover, the corrosion behavior of the amorphouscoatings in 1 mol/L H2SO4 solution is similar to their performance under conditions containing chloride ions, which manifests their flexible and extensive ability to withstand aggressive environments.

Two kinds of amorphous/nanocrystal coating (FeCrNiBSiNb and FeCrBSiWNb) were prepared by high-velocity arc spraying. The microhardness, bonding strength, and cavitation erosion resistance of the coatings were measured. The microstructure, amorphous content, and nanocrystal size were checked and the surface morphologies were investigated after cavitation erosion testing. The results indicated that both the FeCrNiBSiNb and FeCrBSiWNb coating consisted of amorphous/nanocrystal and Fe-based solid solution, with amorphous content of 73.6 and 57.2 vol.%, respectively. The Ni-Cr-Fe solid solution of the FeCrNiBSiNb coating had an average grain size of 19.8 nm, whereas the Fe-Cr solid solution of the FeCrBSiWNb coating had an average grain size of 29.4 nm. Moreover, both the FeCrNiBSiNb and FeCrBSiWNb coating exhibited good bonding strength, high hardness, and excellent cavitation erosion resistance. After 180 min of cavitation erosion, the cumulative weight loss of the FeCrNiBSiNb and FeCrBSiWNb coating was 21.3 and 24.0 mg, whereas the weight loss of a 0Cr18Ni9 coating was up to 62.6 mg. This investigation revealed that the cavitation damage to the thermally sprayed amorphous/nanocrystal coatings was mainly in the form of layer detachment, whereas for the conventional coating it took the form of particle breakage.

A method of coating a surface comprising providing a source of amorphous metal that contains manganese (1 to 3 atomic %), yttrium (0.1 to 10 atomic %), and silicon (0.3 to 3.1 atomic %) in the range of composition given in parentheses; and that contains the following elements in the specified range of composition given in parentheses: chromium (15 to 20 atomic %), molybdenum (2 to 15 atomic %), tungsten (1 to 3 atomic %), boron (5 to 16 atomic %), carbon (3 to 16 atomic %), and the balance iron; and applying said amorphous metal to the surface by a spray.

A method of coating a surface comprising providing a source of amorphous metal that contains manganese (1 to 3 atomic %), yttrium (0.1 to 10 atomic %), and silicon (0.3 to 3.1 atomic %) in the range of composition given in parentheses; and that contains the following elements in the specified range of composition given in parentheses: chromium (15 to 20 atomic %), molybdenum (2 to 15 atomic %), tungsten (1 to 3 atomic %), boron (5 to 16 atomic %), carbon (3 to 16 atomic %), and the balance iron; and applying said amorphous metal to the surface by a spray.

Cost-effective Fe-basedamorphous alloys used for thermal spray coatings were developed by varying contents of P and C, and their microstructure, hardness, and corrosion resistance were analyzed. In order to achieve chemical compositions having high amorphous forming ability, thermodynamically calculated phase diagrams of Fe-Al-P-C-B five-component system were used, from which compositions of super-cooled liquid having the lowest driving force of formation of crystalline phases were obtained. The thermodynamic calculation results showed that only phases of Fe3P and Fe3C were formed in the Fe78Al2P(18.3- x)C x B1.7 alloy system. Considering driving force curves of Fe3P and Fe3C, the carbon contents were selected to be 6.90 and 7.47 at. pct, when the thermodynamic calculation temperatures were 697 K (414 °C) and 715 K (442 °C), respectively. According to the microstructural analysis of suction-cast alloys, the Fe78Al2P10.83C7.47B1.7 alloy showed a fully amorphous microstructure, whereas the Fe78Al2P11.40C6.9B1.7 and Fe78Al2P10.3C8.0B1.7 alloys contained Fe3P and Fe3C phases. This Fe78Al2P10.83C7.47B1.7 alloy showed the better hardness and corrosion resistance than those of conventional thermal spray coating alloys, and its production cost could be lowered using cheaper alloying elements, thereby leading to the practical application to amorphous thermal spray coatings.

Single and multi-layered (with two and three layers) coatings of Fe48Cr15Mo14Y2C15B6 amorphous alloy were applied to AISI 1018 steel substrates via laser cladding. XRD analysis indicated partial retention of the amorphous phase along with the formation of oxide and carbide phases. Cross-sectional SEM micrographs revealed relatively sound coatings laser clad with single layer of amorphous alloy; however, cracks and voids were observed in the two and three layered amorphouscoatings. The specimens with single and two layered amorphouscoatings exhibited surface hardness of about 650 VHN while the hardness of the specimens with three layered amorphouscoatings (~1100 VHN) nearly equaled the hardness of previously reported sintered amorphous alloys of similar compositions. The ball-on-disc wear analysis demonstrated a reverse trend wherein the single and two layered amorphouscoatings exhibited lower weight loss during the wear test cycle due to superior surface soundness while the three layered amorphouscoatings showed aggravated wear due to internal voids and cracks.

Magnetic structure of amorphous Fe73,9B13,2Si10,9C2 microwires was studied. The magnetic structure of the as-prepared microwire was found to consist of a magnetic core and a ring-shaped surface magnetic layer made up by radially magnetized small ring domains. The geometric characteristics of microwire magnetic structure were first experimentally determined. The width of the surface ring domains is about 5 μm, and the thickness of the surface magnetic layer is 2 μm. The magnetic core of the as-prepared microwire has been shown to consist of extensive domains, no less than 500 μm in size, and their spontaneous magnetization vector deviating from the microwire axis. The effect of magnetostriction on magnetic structure and its changes induced by magnetization has been established. The magnetic structure model for microwires with positive magnetostriction constant is proposed.

Differential Scanning Calorimetry(DSC) experimental data under non-isothermal conditions for Febased Metglas 2605SA1 (wt% Fe=85-95, Si=5-10, B=1-5) metallic glass ribbons are reported and discussed. The DSC Scans performed at different heating rates showed two step crystallization processes and are interpreted in terms of different models like Kissinger, Ozawa, Boswell, Augis & Bennett and Gao & Wang. From the heating rate dependence of the onset temperature (To) and the crystallization peak temperature (Tp), the kinetic triplet, activation energy of crystallization (E), Avrami exponent (n) and the frequency factor (A) are determined. The determined E for peak I is 354.5 ± 2.5 kJ/mol and for the peak II is 348.2 ± 2.2 kJ/mol, respectively. The frequency factor for peak I is 1.1 × 1023sec-1 and for peak II is 6.1 × 1020sec-1.

In several Fe-based alloy systems it is possible to produce glasses with cooling rates as low as 100 K/s that exhibit outstanding corrosion resistance compared to typical crystalline alloys such as high-performance stainless steels and Ni-based C-22 alloy. Moreover, novel alloy compositions can be synthesized to maximize corrosion resistance (i.e. adding Cr and Mo) and to improve radiation compatibility (adding B) and still maintain glass forming ability. The applicability of Fe-basedamorphouscoatings in typical environments where corrosion resistance and thermal stability are critical issues has been examined in terms of amorphous phase stability and glass-forming ability through a coordinated computational analysis and experimental validation. Similarly, a novel computational thermodynamics approach has been developed to explore the compositional sensitivity of glass-forming ability and thermal stability. Also, the synthesis and characterization of alloys with increased cross-section for thermal neutron capture will be outlined to demonstrate that through careful design of alloy composition it is possible to tailor the material properties of the thermally spray-formed amorphouscoating to accommodate the challenges anticipated in typical nuclear waste storage applications over tens of thousands of years in a variety of corrosive environments.

Recent developments in multi-component Fe-basedamorphous alloys have shown that these novel materials exhibit outstanding corrosion resistance compared to typical crystalline alloys such as high-performance stainless steels and Ni-based C-22 alloy. During the past decade, amorphous alloy synthesis has advanced to allow for the casting of bulk metallic glasses. In several Fe-based alloy systems it is possible to produce glasses with cooling rates as low as 100 K/s. At such low cooling rates, there is an opportunity to produce amorphous solids through industrial processes such as thermal spray-formed coatings. Moreover, since cooling rates in typical thermal spray processing exceed 1000 K/s, novel alloy compositions can be synthesized to maximize corrosion resistance (i.e. adding Cr and Mo) and to improve radiation compatibility (adding B) and still maintain glass forming ability. The applicability of Fe-basedamorphouscoatings in typical environments where corrosion resistance and thermal stability are critical issues has been examined in terms of amorphous phase stability and glass-forming ability through a coordinated computational analysis and experimental validation. For example, a wedge casting technique has been applied to examine bulk glass forming alloys by combining multiple thermal probes with a measurement based kinetics analysis and a computational thermodynamics evaluation to elucidate the phase selection competition and critical cooling rate conditions. Based upon direct measurements and kinetics modeling it is evident that a critical cooling rate range should be considered to account for nucleation behavior and that the relative heat flow characteristics as well as nucleation kinetics are important in judging ease of glass formation. Similarly, a novel computational thermodynamics approach has been developed to explore the compositional sensitivity of glass-forming ability and thermal stability. Also, the synthesis and characterization of alloys

A thin NiZn-ferrite layer was fabricated on the free surface of a Fe-basedamorphous ribbon by radio frequency magnetron sputtering, and the giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) effect was measured at different magnetic fields and frequencies. An enhanced GMI effect has been observed in the NiZn-ferrite-modified ribbon at all measured frequencies. The largest GMI ratio up to 80 % is about 2.6 times as large as that of the ribbon without any coating. This enhanced GMI effect is mainly explained in terms of induced stress, the transformation of the domain structure and the magnetic flux path in the modified ribbon. The results obtained are of significant importance in developing strong-signal magnetic sensors.

Cold gas dynamic spraying (CGDS) technique makes use of high-speed gas current to spray diversified metal, alloy and composite materials under room temperature or with a little heated. It is one kind of novel surface engineering technologies, aimed at eliminating such negative influences as oxidation, gasification, melt, crystallization and gas decomposition and so on existing in hot spraying technologies. Due to its peculiar characteristics such as low spraying temperature, non-oxidation, low stress among coating layers, compactification, and high utilization rate of raw materials, as well as effective applications in the domain of fabricating coatings, the CGDS technique has attracted great attention. As it has the advantages aforementioned, especially avoiding the changes of material properties resulted from high spraying temperature, CGDS provides a kind of revolutionary means for fabricating such heat-sensitive materials as amorphous alloys. The paper reviews the current situation and application development of the CGDS technique, and presents our preliminary exploration of fabricating bulk Fe-basedamorphous alloy via CGDS together with mechanical milling process.

An investigation is reported on crack-free laser clad Fe-based alloy by use of biaxial powder feeding shielded with argon gas. The microstructure and phase structure of the coating were studied, and mechanical properties were analyzed through hardness, tension strength and wear resistance of the coating. Microstructure analysis showed that there was retained austenite with spherical particles distributed therein in the interdendritic and nearby grain boundary regions. The mechanical test results showed that net-like distributed retained austenite in the interdendritic region had certain toughening effect through blunting crack-tip. Under wear condition of high sliding speed and high loading, the wear resistance of the coating with net-like retained austenite was much higher than that of the coating with some discontinuous carbide network or carbide blocks. The results showed that toughening of laser clad Fe-based alloy with high hardness over 850 HV could be achieved by modifying interdendritic phases from net-like carbide to net-like austenite with spherical particles.

Amorphous Fe(3+)-based oxide nanoparticles produced by Leptothrix ochracea, aquatic bacteria living worldwide, show a potential as an Fe(3+)/Fe(0) conversion anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The presence of minor components, Si and P, in the original nanoparticles leads to a specific electrode architecture with Fe-based electrochemical centers embedded in a Si, P-based amorphous matrix. PMID:24689687

Taguchi method was used to optimize the parameters of the high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) spray process and obtain the high corrosion-resistant Fe-basedcoatings. Based on the signal-to-noise ( S/ N) ratio and the analysis of variance, the significance of spray parameters in determining the porosity of the coatings was found to be in the order of spray distance, oxygen flow, and kerosene flow. Thus, the optimal parameters for the porosity of the HVOF sprayed Fe-basedcoating were determined as 280 mm for the spray distance, 963 scfh for the oxygen flow, and 28 gph for the kerosene flow. The potentiodynamic polarization and EIS tests indicated that the Fe-basedcoating prepared with the optimal parameters exhibited a higher corrosion potential ( E corr) of -196.14 mV, a lower corrosion current density ( i corr) of 0.14 μA/cm2, and a higher coating resistance ( R c) of 2.26 × 106 Ω cm2 than those of the hard chromium coating in 3.5% sodium chloride solution. This superior corrosion resistance could be attributed to the dense structure with low porosity and partially amorphous phases of the Fe-basedcoatings.

The fabrication of dense coatings with appropriate properties using a high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) spray process requires an in-depth understanding of the complete gas flow field and particle behavior during the process. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is implemented to investigate the gas flow behavior that occurs during the HVOF process and a simplified one-dimensional decoupled model of the in-flight thermal behavior of the amorphousFe-based powder particles was developed and applied for three different spray conditions. The numerical results were used to rationalize the different coating microstructures described in the experimental results. Low porosity and amorphouscoatings were produced using two different particle size distributions (16 to 25 μm and 25 to 53 μm). The amorphous characteristics of the powder were retained in the coating due to melting and rapid solidification in the case of very fine powder or ligaments (<16 μm) and to the fact that the crystallization temperature was not reached in the case of the large particles (16 to 53 μm).

We report the surface exchange spring behavior in Fe-basedamorphous ribbons which is detected by the magneto-optical Kerr effect. To realize this effect at the surface of FeSiB, the radio frequency (RF) radiation is used to change the magnetic phase of its outermost atomic surface layers. The RF radiation produced by a capacitively coupled parallel plate plasma reactor creates a nanometric hard magnetic layer on the surface of Fe-based ribbons and leaves the magnetically soft volume without any substantial modification.

Axial hysteresis loops of glass-coatedamorphous Fe 70B 15Si 10C 5 microwire have been measured as a function of both the diameter of metallic nucleus (from 3.7-14.9 μm) and the thickness of the coating (4.0-9.6 μm). They exhibit low-field rectangular hysteresis loops with a single and large Barkhausen jump even for samples as short as 5 mm long. Coercivity remarkably increases (roughly from 1 to 10 Oe) and remanence decreases (from 1 to 0.45 T), respectively, as the ratio of metallic nucleus radius to the total radius of the wire decreases from 0.63 to 0.16. The strength of the internal stresses induced during the fabrication depends on this ratio, and the easy axes of the corresponding magnetoelastic anisotropies determine the actual value of coercivity and remanence for these microwires.

This paper presents measured vector magnetic properties of Fe-basedamorphous sheets under alternating flux conditions in arbitrary direction. It is well known that amorphous material has usually isotropic magnetic property; however it is changeable by heat-treatment and shows complicated aspects. In this paper, the relationship between the magnetic flux density and field strength vector and iron loss under alternating flux conditions is measured by using a vector magnetic property measurement system. Moreover, the iron losses depending on the exciting frequency are discussed. The results show a weak anisotropy in plane and the frequency dependence of the iron losses shows different tendency in each direction.

Fe-based alloy coating (FAC) was prepared from Fe-basedamorphous metallic powders on low-carbon steel by plasma spray. The microstructures and corrosion resistances (salt spray and electrochemical tests) of the FAC and the reference hard chromium coatings (HCC) were investigated. The results indicated that the as-sprayed FAC consisted of amorphous phase, nanocrystalline grains, and borides. Both the FAC and HCC adhered well to the low-carbon steel substrate, but there are micro-cracks and pores located in FAC, which disappeared after the sealing treatment. After 60 days (1440 h) of corrosion tests by salt spray, the weight loss of FAC was about 10% of the HCC, but that of the sealed FAC (SFAC) was only about 4% of HCC. The electrochemical tests indicated that the HCC had the lowest E corr (-629 mV) and highest I corr (63.2 mA/m2). Correspondingly, the SFAC possessed the highest E corr (-321 mV) and lowest I corr (6.97 mA/m2). These suggested that the resistance to corrosion sequence ( R) among these coatings was R SFAC > R FAC > R HCC. Therefore, this Fe-based alloy coating could be applied as a good alternative material to hard chromium in corrosion environments.

Fe-basedamorphous alloys are gaining increasing attention due to their exceptional wear and corrosion resistance for potential structural applications. Two major challenges that are hindering the commercialization of these amorphous alloys are difficulty in processing of bulk shapes (diameter > 10 mm) and lack of ductility. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is evolving as a promising technique for processing bulk shapes of amorphous and nanocrystalline materials. The objective of this work is to investigate densification behavior, nanocrystallization, and mechanical properties of SPS sintered Fe-basedamorphous alloys of composition Fe48Cr15Mo14Y2C15B6. SPS processing was performed in three distinct temperature ranges of amorphous alloys: (a) below glass transition temperature (Tg), (b) between Tg and crystallization temperature (Tx), and (c) above Tx. Punch displacement data obtained during SPS sintering was correlated with the SPS processing parameters such as temperature, pressure, and sintering time. Powder rearrangement, plastic deformation below T g, and viscous flow of the material between Tg and Tx were observed as the main densification stages during SPS sintering. Micro-scale temperature distributions at the point of contact and macro-scale temperature distribution throughout the sample during SPS of amorphous alloys were modeled. The bulk amorphous alloys are expected to undergo structural relaxation and nanocrystallization during SPS sintering. X-ray diffraction (XRD), small angle neutron scattering (SANS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed to investigate the evolution of nanocrystallites in SPS sintered Fe-based bulk amorphous alloys. The SANS analysis showed significant scattering for the samples sintered in the supercooled region indicating local structural and compositional changes with the profuse nucleation of nano-clusters (~4 nm). Compression tests and microhardness were performed on the samples sintered at different

Field induced magnetic anisotropy in two Fe-basedamorphous alloys with different saturation induction levels (1.56 T and 1.64 T) was investigated by varying magnetic field strength and annealing temperature and domain images were taken on these samples. Residual strain was evaluated by measuring coercivities of the materials after stress-relief annealing. These results are discussed, clarifying the difference between the two Fe-basedamorphous alloys.

The local atomic electronic structures of Fe-Mo-C-B metallic glasses are investigated using electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). The fracture behavior of this Fe-basedamorphous alloy system undergoes the transition from being ductile to exhibiting brittleness when alloyed with Cr or Er atoms. In addition, the glass-forming ability is also enhanced. This plastic-to-brittle transition is suggested to correlate with the change of local atomic short-range order or bonding configurations. Therefore, the bonding configuration of Fe-Mo-C-B-Er(Cr) amorphous alloys is investigated by studying the electronic structure of Fe and C atoms using electron energy-loss spectroscopy. It is shown that the normalized EELS white line intensities of Fe-L2,3 edges decrease slightly with an increasing amount of Er additions, while no noticeable difference is obtained with Cr additions. As for the C K edge, a prominent change of edge shape is observed for both alloy systems, where the first peak corresponding to a 1s→1π* transition increases with increasing Er and Cr additions. Accordingly, it is concluded that changes in the local atomic and electronic structure occur around Fe and C atoms when Er and Cr are introduced into the alloys. Furthermore, it is pointed out that the formation of Er-C and Cr-C carbide like local order inferred from the observed C K edge spectra can provide a plausible explanation for the plastic-to-brittle transition observed in these Fe-basedamorphous alloys. In spite of the complexity of electronic and atomic structure in this multicomponent Fe-based metallic glass system, this study could serve as a starting point for providing a qualitative interpretation between electronic structure and plasticity in the Fe-Mo-C-B amorphous alloy system. Complimentary techniques, such as x-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscope are also employed, providing a more complete structural characterization.

Microstructure of Fe-basedamorphous and nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy has been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) and Doppler broadening positron annihilation technique (PAT). Doppler broadening measurement reveals that amorphous alloys (Finemet, Type I) which can form a nanocrystalline phase have more defects (free volume) than alloys (Metglas, Type II) which cannot form this microstructure. XRD and TEM characterization indicates that the nanocrystallization of amorphous Finemet alloy occurs at 460°C, where nanocrystallites of α-Fe with an average grain size of a few nanometers are formed in an amorphous matrix. With increasing annealing temperature up to 500°C, the average grain size increases up to around 12 nm. During the annealing of Finemet alloy, it has been demonstrated that positron annihilates in quenched-in defect, crystalline nanophase and amorphous-nanocrystalline interfaces. The change of line shape parameter S with annealing temperature in Finemet alloy is mainly due to the structural relaxation, the pre-nucleation of Cu nucleus and the nanocrystallization of α-Fe(Si) phase during annealing. This study throws new insights into positron behavior in the nanocrystallization of metallic glasses, especially in the presence of single or multiple nanophases embedded in the amorphous matrix.

An enhanced giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) effect of Fe-basedamorphous ribbons is obtained by rapid heat treatment. The structural investigations on the ribbon reveal the presence of two phases, i.e. a fine grained Fe3Si phase and a residual amorphous phase on rapid heat treatment. The soft magnetic property is improved by rapid heat treatment; the crystal size and grain size of Fe3Si decrease. The maximum magnetoimpedance ratio obtained in the present study is 81% at 10 MHz, and the optimized heat-treated rate is 200°C/min. Separated GMI curves are observed after the simultaneous rapid heat treatment and magnetic field annealing. This suggests that tailoring of the nanocrystalline microstructures induced by optimum rapid heat treatment conditions can result in an excellent GMI effect.

Fe-based bulk amorphous alloys (BAAs) with high Fe contents are advantageous due to their high saturation magnetization and low cost. However, preparing Fe-based BAAs with Fe contents higher than 80 at% is difficult due to their poor glass forming abilities (GFA). In this study, an Fe81P8.5C5.5B2Si3 BAA with a diameter of 1 mm and a saturation magnetization of 1.56 T was successfully prepared using the fluxing and copper mold casting methods. In addition, by introducing a small amount of elemental Mo to the alloy, an Fe82Mo1P6.5C5.5B2Si3 BAA rod with a diameter of 1 mm, a high saturation magnetization of 1.59 T, a high yield stress of 3265 MPa, and a clear plasticity of 1.3% was prepared in the same way. The cost effectiveness and good magnetic properties of these newly-developed Fe-based BAAs with Fe contents as high as 82 at% would be advantageous and promising for industrial applications.

Fe74Ni3Si13Cr6W4 amorphous alloy powders were annealed at different temperature (T) for 1.5 h to fabricate the corresponding amorphous and nanocrystalline powders. The influences of T on the crystalline structure, morphology, magnetic and microwave electromagnetic properties of the resultant samples were investigated via X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer and vector network analyzer. The results show that the powder samples obtained at T of 650 °C or more are composed of lots of ultra-fine α-Fe(Si) grains embedded in an amorphous matrix. When T increases from 350 to 750 °C, the saturated magnetization and coercivity of the as-annealed powder samples both increase monotonously whereas the relative real permittivity shows a minimal value and the relative real permeability shows a maximal value at T of 650 °C. Thus the powder samples annealed at 650 °C show optimal reflection loss under -10 dB in the whole C-band. These results here suggest that the annealing heat treatment of Fe-basedamorphous alloy is an effective approach to fabricate high performance microwave absorber with reasonable permittivity and large permeability simultaneously via adjusting T.

The magnetic structure of amorphous and thermal annealed glass coated microwires is studied by thermomagnetic, DSC, and Bitter domain pattern techniques. The long-range dipolar interaction between parallel aligned microwires and the appearance of large Barkhausen jumps steps in the axially magnetized loops are discussed in terms of reversal magnetization process.

The Fe-Si-B-P-C metallic glassy alloys exhibit relatively high glass forming ability (GFA) as well as good soft magnetic properties such as ultra-low core loss. In this paper, the metallic glassy alloy (Fe0.76Si0.09B0.10P0.05)98C2 has been newly developed. A new Fe-basedamorphous compound powder was prepared from FeSiB amorphous powder by crushing the amorphous ribbons as the first magnetic component and FeSiBPC metallic glassy powder by water atomization as the second magnetic component. Subsequently by adding organic and inorganic binders to the compound powder and cold pressing, the new Fe-basedamorphous compound powder cores were fabricated. These new Fe-basedamorphous compound powder cores combine the superior DC-bias properties and the excellently low core loss. The core loss of 453 kW/m3 at Bm=0.1 T and f=100 kHz was obtained when the mass ratio of FeSiB/FeSiBPC equals 3:2, and meanwhile the DC-bias properties of the new Fe-basedamorphous compound powder cores just increased by 10% at H=100 Oe for μ=60 compared to those of the FeSiBPC powder cores. In addition, with the increase in the content of the FeSiPC metallic glassy powder, the core loss tends to decrease.

In situ synthesized VC-VB particles reinforced Fe-based composite coatings were produced by laser beam melting mixture of ferrovanadium (Fe-V) alloy, boron carbide (B4C), CaF2 and Fe-based self-melting powders. The results showed that VB particles with black regular and irregular blocky shape and VC with black flower-like shape were uniformly distributed in the coatings. The type, amount, and size of the reinforcements were influenced by the content of FeV40 and B4C powders. Compared to the substrate, the hardness and wear resistance of the composite coatings were greatly improved.

In this article, amorphous and nanocomposite thermally deposited steel coatings have been formed by using both plasma and high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spraying techniques. This was accomplished by developing a specialized iron-based composition with a low critical cooling rate (?104 K/s) for metallic glass formation, processing the alloy by inert gas atomization to form micron-sized amorphous spherical powders, and then spraying the classified powder to form coatings. A primarily amorphous structure was formed in the as-sprayed coatings, independent of coating thickness. After a heat treatment above the crystallization temperature (568°C), the structure of the coatings self-assembled (i.e., devitrified) into a multiphase nanocomposite microstructure with 75 to 125 nm grains containing a distribution of 20 nm second-phase grain-boundary precipitates. Vickers microhardness testing revealed that the amorphouscoatings were very hard (10.2 to 10.7 GPa), with further increases in hardness after devitrification (11.4 to 12.8 GPa). The wear characteristics of the amorphous and nanocomposite coatings were determined using both two-body pin-on-disk and three-body rubber wheel wet-slurry sand tests. The results indicate that the amorphous and nanocomposite steel coatings are candidates for a wide variety of wear-resistant applications.

By utilizing a wide-view Kerr-effect magnetic domain observation system designed for domain observation on curved surfaces, domain images were taken on the surface of a toroidal core based on an Fe-basedamorphous alloy. The results of the observation are discussed in terms of Bertotti's eddy-current loss model, helping to clarify the concept of magnetic objects proposed by the model.

Fe-based composite coating prepared onto the component of guide wheel using ultrasonic frequency inductive cladding (UFIC) technique has been investigated in terms of microstructure, phase constitutions, microhardness and elevated temperature wear behavior by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Vickers microhardness tester and ball-on-disc wear tester. The results indicated that the primary phase in the coating contained austenite γ-Fe, eutectic γ-Fe/(Cr,Fe)2B, boride (Cr,Fe)2B and precipitation enriched in Mo. The average microhardness of the coating was 760 ± 10 HV0.2, which was three times higher than that of the substrate. With increasing temperature, the friction coefficients of the coating and high-chromium cast iron decreased gradually while the wear rates increased during dry sliding wear condition. The relative wear resistance of the coating was 1.63 times higher than that of the high-chromium cast iron at 500 °C, which was ascribed to the hard borides with high thermal stability uniformly embedded in the coating and the formation of dense transfer layer formed onto the worn surface. The high temperature wear mechanism of the coating was dominated by mild abrasive wear. The study revealed that Fe-based composite coating had excellent high temperature wear resistance under dry sliding wear condition.

Fe/Mo composite coatings were prepared by air plasma spraying (APS) using Fe-based and Mo-based amorphous and nanocrystalline mixed powders. Microstructural studies show that the composite coatings present a layered structure with low porosity due to adding the self-bonded Mo-based alloy. Corrosion behaviors of the composite coatings, the Fe-basedcoatings and the Mo-based coatings were investigated by electrochemical measurements and salt spray tests. Electrochemical results show that the composite coatings exhibit a lower polarization current density and higher corrosion potentials than the Fe-basedcoating when tested in 3.5wt% NaCl solutions, indicating superior corrosion resistance compared with the Fe-basedcoating. Also with the increase in addition of the Mo-based alloy, a raised corrosion resistance, inferred by an increase in corrosion potential and a decrease in polarization current density, can be found. The results of salt spray tests again show that the corrosion resistance is enhanced by adding the Mo-based alloy, which helps to reduce the porosity of the composite coatings and enhance the stability of the passive films.

The rolling contact fatigue (RCF) failure procedure of Fe-based alloy coating, fabricated by high efficient plasma spray (PS) technology, was investigated by a double-roller test machine with oil lubrication under pure rolling contact condition. The fractal dimension (FD) was utilized to quantitatively characterize the profile of the worn surface at different experiment stage and the failure mechanism of the coating was discussed. The results indicated that the nonlinear morphologies of the worn surface of Fe-Cr alloy coating possessed excellent fractal properties. The failure procedure could be divided into four stages according to the value and change rule of FD, i.e. (1) running-in stage, (2) stable abrade stage, (3) accelerated damage stage, (4) unstable removal stage.

New and improved Ni-, Co-, and Fe-base bond coatings have been identified for the ZrO2-Y2O3 thermal barrier coatings to be used on NI-, Co-, and Fe-base alloy substrates. These bond coatings were evaluated in a cyclic furnace between 1120 and 1175 C. It was found that MCrAlYb (where M = Ni, Co, or Fe) bond coating thermal barrier systems. The longest life was obtained with the FeCrAlYb thermal barrier system followed by NiCrAlYb and CoCrAlYb thermal barrier systems in that order.

FeB, FeBSi, and FeNiCrBSiNbW coatings were prepared by twin wires arc spraying process on AISI 1045 steel substrate, and the microstructure and phases were characterized by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and x-ray diffraction. The corrosion resistance was investigated by means of electrochemical tests. It was found that FeB coating and FeBSi coating were composed of α-Fe, FeO, and Fe2O3 phases. FeNiCrBSiNbW coating consisted of amorphous phase and α-(Fe, Cr) nanocrystalline phase, with porosity of 1.8%, hardness of 807 Hv0.1 and tensile bonding strength of 52.1 MPa. Three kinds of electrochemical tests were employed to identify the corrosion resistance of the coatings. The results indicated that the FeNiCrBSiNbW coating had a superior corrosion resistance, much better than FeB and FeBSi coatings. It was attributed to the amorphous/nanocrystalline structure and the presence of corrosion-resistant element Cr.

Fe-based alloy powders with a high Fe content of about 81 at.% were produced by a gas-atomization technique. Powders of Fe81Si1.9B5.7P11.4 (at.%) alloy showed a good glass forming ability and exhibited unusual high saturation magnetic flux density of 1.57 T. The core-loss property at a frequency of 100 kHz for the compacted core made of the Fe81Si1.9B5.7P11.4 powder is evaluated to be less than 500 kW/m3 under a maximum induction of 100 mT. Moreover, good DC-superposition characteristic of the core was also confirmed. These results suggest that the present Fe-based alloy powder is promising for low-loss magnetic-core materials and expected to contribute in miniaturization of electric parts in the near future.

The effects of the electrolytic hydrogenation and oxidation and of the interaction of the surface ribbon with water and vapor on the frequency dependence of magnetic losses per magnetization-reversal cycle are studied based on the example of soft magnetic Fe81B13Si4C2 amorphous alloy, which exhibits a positive saturation magnetostriction. It was shown that, after the hydrogenation and oxidation of soft magnetic amorphous alloys, their frequency dependences of magnetic losses per magnetization-reversal cycle, which are reduced to unit induction, exhibit groups of hydrogen- and oxygen-related peaks in the frequency ranges of 35-55 and 55-80 Hz, which can be explained by the formation of O- A and H- A atomic pairs (where A are atoms of alloy components) and their reorientation in a magnetic field in the course of magnetization reversal at certain frequencies. The formation of analogous groups of peaks for samples of soft magnetic Fe-basedamorphous alloys was observed after the interaction of the ribbon surface with water and vapor and after heat treatment in air. This fact confirms the possibility of the hydrogenation and oxidation of the alloys during the aforementioned processes.

The crevice corrosion behaviors of an Fe-based bulk metallic glass alloy (SAM1651) and a Ni-Cr-Mo crystalline alloy (C-22) were studied in 4M NaCl at 100 C with cyclic potentiodynamic polarization and constant potential tests. The corrosion damage morphologies, corrosion products and the compositions of corroded surfaces of these two alloys were studied with optical 3D reconstruction, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES). It was found that the Fe-based bulk metallic glass (amorphous alloy) SAM1651 had a more positive breakdown potential and repassivation potential than crystalline alloy C-22 in cyclic potentiodynamic polarization tests and required a more positive oxidizing potential to initiate crevice corrosion in constant potential test. Once crevice corrosion initiated, the corrosion propagation of C-22 was more localized near the crevice border compared to SAM1651, and SAM1651 repassivated more readily than C-22. The EDS results indicated that the corrosion products of both alloys contained high amount of O and were enriched in Mo and Cr. The AES results indicated that a Cr-rich oxide passive film was formed on the surfaces of both alloys, and both alloys were corroded congruently.

The frequency dependence of total and internal demagnetizing factors has been investigated. A minimum of the demagnetizing factor at optimal frequency of magnetization reversal is revealed. The influence of the demagnetizing factor on the frequency dependence of magnetic properties of amorphous ribbon is studied.

Amorphous Fe(73.5)Si(13.5)B9Nb3Cu1 alloy was prepared by the chill block melt-spinning process and nanocrystalline Fe(73.5)Si(13.5)B9Nb3Cu1 alloy was obtained by annealing. The crystallization behaviors were analysed by DSC, XRD and TEM. The electrochemical corrosion behaviors in different annealed states were performed by linear polarization method and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 3.5% NaCl solution. The results show that the crystallization of amorphous alloy occurs in the two steps. Some nanometer crystals appear when annealing in 550 degrees C and 600 degrees C, respectively with grain size 13 nm and 15 nm. The nanocrystalline alloy has a tendency to passivation and lower anodic current density than amorphous alloy. It indicates that nanocrystalline alloy has a higher corrosion resistance. Amorphous Fe(73.5)Si(13.5)B9Nb3Cu1 alloy consisted of only single semi-circle. When the alloy was annealed in 600 degrees C, its EIS consisted of two time constants, i.e., high frequency and low frequency capacitive loops. The charge transfer reaction resistances increases as annealing temperature rises. PMID:21137903

Amorphous metallic alloys or bulk metallic glasses are emerging as promising materials for a range of structural, microelectromechanical systems, and biomedical applications. With the recent developments in spark plasma sintering and superplastic forming of the amorphous alloys, it is likely that the amorphous alloys will find a place in new applications. In this article, surface hardening of spark plasma sintered Fe48Cr15Mo14Y2C15B6 bulk amorphous alloys using a continuous-wave Nd:YAG laser is reported. Depending on the processing parameters, the laser surface irradiation causes structural relaxation (enhanced medium-range ordering and/or annihilation of excess free volume) and nanocrystallization of hard carbides (M23C6 and M7C3), resulting in surface hardening. Detailed investigations on the thermal effects, microstructural modifications, and hardness improvements due to laser surface irradiation with laser fluence in the range of 1.77-2.36 J/mm2 are presented. An increase in hardness in the range of 1360-1560 HV for laser surface-treated alloys compared to 1200 HV for as-sintered alloys over a hardening depth of about 50-80 µm is observed.

Magnetization kinetics in tension-annealed and field-annealed amorphous magnetic materials indicates that strain and magnetic fields are equally effective in inducing and relaxing local structural and magnetic anisotropy changes. This observation is based on the thermomagnetic aging of the magnetic properties obtained in the materials studied.

Nanoperm, Hitperm and Finamet amorphous and nanocrystalline alloys were measured by Moessbauer spectrometry in a weak external magnetic field of 0.5 T. It was shown that the most sensitive parameters of Moessbauer spectra are the intensities of the 2nd and the 5th lines. Rather small changes were observed also in the case of internal magnetic field values. The spectrum of nanocrystalline Nanoperm showed the increase in A{sub 23} parameter (ratio of line intensities) from 2.4 to 3.7 and decrease of internal magnetic field from 20 to 19 T for amorphous subspectrum under the influence of magnetic field. Spectrum of nanocrystalline Finemet shown decrease in A{sub 23} parameter from 3.5 to 2.6 almost without a change in the internal magnetic field value. In the case of amorphous Nanoperm and Finemet samples, the changes are almost negligible. Hitperm alloy showed the highest sensitivity to the weak magnetic field, when the A{sub 23} parameter increased from 0.4 to 2.5 in the external magnetic fields. The A{sub 23} parameter of crystalline subspectrum increased from 2.7 to 3.8 and the value of internal magnetic field corresponding to amorphous subspectrum increased from 22 to 24 T. The behavior of nanocrystalline alloys under weak external magnetic field was analyzed within the three-level relaxation model of magnetic dynamics in an assembly of single-domain particles.

Some magnetic characteristics of the Fe-based cast amorphous glass-coated microwires with positive magnetostriction constant are investigated. The residual stress distributions in this type of microwires determine the domain structures and the switching field behavior; in particular, we present a phenomenological law of its temperature dependence, which has a very good agreement with the experimental data.

Fe-based nanocrystalline ribbon is widely employed in pulsed power devices and accelerators. A temperature accumulation model is put forward to explain the accumulated destructive effect of discharge plasma bombardment on the TiO{sub 2} coatings of nanocrystalline ribbon under 50 Hz/100 ns voltage pulses. Experimental results revealed that the plasma channel expansion caused by air breakdown in the coating crack heated the coating repetitively, and the coating temperature was increased and accumulated around the crack. The fact that repetitive voltage pulses were more destructive than a single pulse with the same amplitude was caused by the intensified coating ablation under the temperature accumulation effect.

Glass forming materials (critical cooling rate <10{sup 4}K.s{sup -1}) are promising for their high corrosion and wear resistance. During rapid cooling, the materials form an amorphous structure that transforms to nanocrystalline during a process of devitrification. High hardness (HV 1690) can be achieved through a controlled crystallization. Thermal spray process has been used to apply coatings, which preserves the amorphous/nanocomposite structure due to a high cooling rate of the feedstock particles during the impact on a substrate. Wear properties have been studied with respect to process conditions and feedstock material properties. Application specific properties such as sliding wear resistance have been correlated with laboratory tests based on instrumented indentation and scratch tests.

Amorphous metal and ceramic thermal spray coatings have been developed that can be used to enhance the corrosion resistance of containers for the transportation, aging and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive wastes. Fe-basedamorphous metal formulations with chromium, molybdenum and tungsten have shown the corrosion resistance believed to be necessary for such applications. Rare earth additions enable very low critical cooling rates to be achieved. The boron content of these materials, and their stability at high neutron doses, enable them to serve as high efficiency neutron absorbers for criticality control. Ceramic coatings may provide even greater corrosion resistance for container applications, though the boron-containing amorphous metals are still favored for criticality control applications. These amorphous metal and ceramic materials have been produced as gas atomized powders and applied as near full density, non-porous coatings with the high-velocity oxy-fuel process. This paper summarizes the performance of these coatings as corrosion-resistant barriers, and as neutron absorbers. Relevant corrosion models are also discussed, as well as a cost model to quantify the economic benefits possible with these new materials.

The Cu-Fe-basedcoating was produced on copper alloy substrate by laser induction hybrid rapid cladding (LIHRC). The results showed that the maximum laser scanning speed and the maximum powder feeding rate can be increased to 3200 mm/min and 110 g/min, respectively. The coating was mainly composed of α-Fe and ɛ-Cu phases. At the bottom of coating, Cu-rich matrix took on planar growth and columnar dendritic morphology. In the center of coating, Fe-rich spherical particles containing a supersaturated Cu were embedded in Cu-rich matrix and many fine Cu-rich grains were precipitated inside the Fe-rich spherical particles. However, at the top of coating, the smaller Fe-rich spherical particles were embedded inside the larger Cu-rich spherical particles which were embedded in the dendritic Fe-rich matrix. The microhardness of coating was much three times higher than that of substrate.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the microstructural details and corrosion properties of novel Fe-basedcoatings prepared using two different generations of HVAF spray guns. These two generations of HVAF guns are Activated Combustion HVAF (AC-HVAF, 2nd generation) M2 gun and Supersonic Air Fuel HVAF (SAF, 3rd generation) M3 gun. Structural details were analysed using x-ray diffractometry and field-emission scanning electron microscope. Higher denseness with homogeneous microstructure was achieved for Fe-basedcoating deposited by the M3 process. Such coatings exhibit higher particle deformation and lower oxide content compared to coatings manufactured with M2 gun. Corrosion properties were studied by open-cell potential measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The lower porosity and higher interlamellar cohesion of coating manufactured with M3 gun prevent the electrolyte from penetrating through the coating and arriving to the substrate, enhancing the overall corrosion resistance. This can be explained by the improved microstructures and coating performance.

The atomic structure of Fe{sub 70}Nb{sub 10}B{sub 20} alloy in “as-cast” state and after annealing was investigated using high-energy X-ray diffraction (XRD), Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The HRTEM observations allowed to indicate some medium-range order (MRO) regions about 2 nm in size and formation of some kinds of short-range order (SRO) structures represented by atomic clusters with diameter ca. 0.5 nm. The Reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) method basing on the results of XRD measurements was used in modeling the atomic structure of Fe-based alloy. The structural model was described by peak values of partial pair correlation functions and coordination numbers determined by Mössbauer spectroscopy investigations. The three-dimensional configuration box of atoms was obtained from the RMC simulation and the representative Fe-centered clusters were taken from the calculated structure. According to the Gonser et al. approach, the measured spectra of alloy studied were decomposed into 5 subspectra representing average Fe–Fe coordination numbers. Basing on the results of disaccommodation of magnetic permeability, which is sensitive to the short order of the random packing of atoms, it was stated that an occurrence of free volume is not detected after nanocrystallization process. - Highlights: • Atomic cluster model of amorphous structure was proposed for studied glassy alloy. • Short range order (ca. 0.5 nm) regions interpreted as clusters were identified by HREM. • Clusters correspond to coordination numbers (N = 4,6,8,9) calculated by using Gonser approach. • Medium-range order (ca. 2 nm) could be referred to few atomic clusters. • SRO regions are able to grow up as nuclei of crystalline bcc Fe and iron borides. • Crystalline particles have spherical morphology with an average diameter of 20 nm.

The carck-free Fe-based +20 wt% WC coating with large area was produced by mutli-track overlapping laser induction hybrid rapid cladding. The results showed that the maximum laser scanning speed and the maximum feeding rate of powder can be increased to 3500 mm/min and 120 g/min, respectively. The cast WC particles were dissolved almost completely and had a worse wettability with Fe-based metal matrix. The precipitated carbides such as M 12C and M 23C 6 (M=Fe, W, Cr) formed an intergranular network around the primary Fe-based phase enriched with tungsten. The microhardness of coating decreased first, and then increased slightly with an increase in the track. The first track had the highest microhardness (i.e. 870HV 0.2). Moreover, the wear weight of coating approximately had a linear relationship with the sliding distance, and increased with an increase in the sliding speed. The wear rate approximately remained constant with an increase in the sliding distance and was two times lower than that of the hardened steel AISI 1045 with a hardness of 60HRC. The wear mechanism during the dry sliding wear was a combination of oxidation wear and abrasion wear.

Thick (2-3 mm) Fe-basecoatings with admixed ferrotitanium (Fe30Ti70) were applied to austenitic steel by a high-velocity oxy-fuel process (HVOF). Hot-isostatic pressing (HIP) was carried out to the decrease porosity and to increase the material strength, wear resistance, and adhesive bond strength of the deposited coating to the substrate material. SEM and XRD investigations confirmed the formation of hard titanium carbide (TiC) particles during HIP treatment as a result of strong carbon diffusion out of the metal matrix and into the Fe30Ti70 particles. The mechanical and wear properties of the densified coatings were investigated by means of shear tests, hardness measurements, and abrasive wear tests. A comparison of the coatings in the as-sprayed and the HIPed state showed a large increase in the wear resistance due to in situ TiC formation.

Thermally sprayed Fe-basedcoatings reinforced by TiC particles are a cost-effective alternative to carbide coatings such as WC/CoCr, Cr3C2/NiCr, and hard chrome coatings. They feature a good wear resistance and—with sufficient amount of alloying elements like Cr and Ni—also a high corrosion resistance. In hydraulic systems, the piston is usually coated with hard chrome coatings for protection against corrosion and wear. New water-based hydraulic fluids require an adaption of the coating system. In order to investigate the wear and corrosion resistance of Fe/TiC, a novel powder consisting of a FeCr27Ni18Mo3 matrix and 34 wt.% TiC was applied by HVOF and compared to reference samples made of WC/CoCr (HVAF) and hard chrome. Besides an in-depth coating characterization (metallographic analyses, electron microprobe analyzer-EMPA), wear resistance was tested under reverse sliding in a water-based hydraulic fluid. The novel Fe/TiC coatings showed good wear protection properties, which are comparable to conventional coatings like WC/CoCr (HVAF) and electroplated hard chrome coatings. Corrosion resistance was determined by polarization in application-oriented electrolytes (hydraulic fluid at 60 °C, artificial sea water at RT). The corrosion resistance of the investigated iron-based coatings at 60 °C was superior to the references coatings for both hydraulic fluids. Selected coatings were tested in an application-oriented hydraulic test bench with HFC hydraulic fluid (water polymer solutions) showing comparably good wear and corrosion resistance as the hard chrome-coated reference.

Several Fe-basedamorphous metals were developed with good corrosion resistance. These materials have been produced as melt-spun ribbons, ingots, and thermal-spray coatings. Cyclic polarization has been conducted in several aggressive environments, at ambient temperature, as well as temperatures approaching the boiling points of the test solutions. The hypothesis that the corrosion resistance of iron-based amorphous metals can be enhanced through application of heuristic principles related to the additions of chromium, molybdenum, tungsten has been tested and found to have merit. Chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo) and tungsten (W) provide corrosion resistance; boron (B) enables glass formation; and rare earths such as yttrium (Y) lower critical cooling rate (CCR). The high boron content of this particular amorphous metal makes this amorphous alloy an effective neutron absorber, and suitable for criticality control applications. In general, the corrosion resistance of such iron-based amorphous metals is maintained at operating temperatures up to the glass transition temperature.

Using combination of ferrofluid (FF) and Fe-basedamorphous alloy in the advanced treatment of high concentration, organic wastewater was investigated. The addition of Fe73.5Nb3Cu1Si13.5B9 amorphous alloy powders into a FF give rise to a dramatic enhancement in decreasing chemical oxygen demand (COD) and decolorization. The removal rate of COD by using FF that combined Fe73.5Nb3Cu1Si13.5B9 metallic glass (MG) particles reached 92% in the presence of H2O2, nearly more than 50% higher than that by using only FF. Furthermore, compared with the FF, the decolorizing effect of the combination was 20% higher. It has been found that MG powders with the amorphous structures have high efficiency of waste water treatment and lead to high catalytic ability.

In order to understand the effects of the metalloid elements M (M: P, C, B) on the atomic structure, glass formation ability (GFA) and magnetic properties of Fe-basedamorphous alloys, Fe80P13C7, Fe80P14B6 and Fe80B14C6 amorphous alloys are chosen to study through first-principle simulations in the present work. The atomic structure characteristic of the three amorphous alloys is investigated through the pair distribution functions (PDFs) and Voronoi Polyhedra (VPs) analyses. The PDFs and VPs analyses suggest that the GFA of the three alloys dropped in the order of Fe80P13C7, Fe80P14B6, and Fe80B14C6, which is well consistent with the experimental results. The density of state (DOS) of the three amorphous alloys is calculated to investigate their magnetic properties. Based on the DOS analysis, the average magnetic moment of Fe atom in Fe80P13C7 and Fe80P14B6 amorphous alloys can be estimated to be 1.71 μB and 1.70 μB, respectively, which are in acceptable agreement with the experimental results. However, the calculated average magnetic moment of Fe atom in Fe80B14C6 amorphous alloy is about 1.62 μB, which is far less than the experimental result.

Investigation to find a suitable coating material for a rudder application has been carried out in this study. Ten different coatings were prepared by arc spraying with Al-, Zn-, Cu-, and Fe-based wire feedstock. Both the cavitation erosion and marine corrosion behavior of the arc-sprayed coatings were evaluated, and compared with the conventional anti-corrosion paint. In terms of marine corrosion resistance, aluminum coating was the best among the tested coating systems while stainless steel coating showed the highest resistance against cavitation erosion. In addition, the effects of both the Si composition in Al-based coatings and the Ni composition in Cu- and Fe- basedcoatings were discussed in this study.

In this study, SiC particles were first coated with Cr to form a layer that can protect the SiC particles from dissolution in the molten pool. Then, the Cr-SiC powder was injected into the tail of molten pool during plasma-transferred arc welding process (PTAW), where the temperature was relatively low, to prepare Cr-SiC particles reinforced Fe-based alloy coating. The microstructure and phase composition of the powder and surface coatings were analyzed, and the element distribution and hardness at the interfacial region were also evaluated. The protective layer consists of Cr3Si, Cr7C3, and Cr23C6, which play an important role in the microstructure and mechanical properties. The protective layer is dissolved in the molten pool forming a flocculent region and a transition region between the SiC particles and the matrix. The tribological performance of the coating was also assessed using a ring-block sliding wear tester with GGr15 grinding ring under 490 and 980 N load. Cr-SiC particles-reinforced coating has a lower wear rate than the unreinforced coating.

On the example of soft magnetic Fe81B13Si4C2 and Fe77Ni1Si9B13 amorphous alloys, the relation between the level of magnetic properties and duration of isothermal holding in the course of heat treatment in air has been studied. The optimum temperature-dependent time τ of isothermal holding has been shown to be related to the volume fraction of domains ( V orth) with orthogonal magnetization in the initial (quenched) ribbon by equation V orth = ττ1/3. A temperature dependence of the proportionality coefficient α, which determines the degree of diffusion-process activity, has been determined. The results obtained allow us to substantially simplify the choice of optimum conditions of atmospheric heat treatment of soft magnetic Fe-basedamorphous ribbons.

The suggestion of Bibring et al. (1971) that the low albedos and reddish spectra observed in some lunar fines are caused by a low density amorphous substance which coats the fines is disputed. It is shown that these coatings have only a marginal effect on lunar reflectivity.

New developments in the field of thermal spraying systems (increased particle velocities, enhanced process stability) are leading to improved coatings. Innovations in the field of feedstock materials are supporting this trend. The combination of both has led to a renaissance of Fe-based feedstocks. Using modern APS or HVOF systems, it is now possible to compete with classical materials for wear and corrosion applications like Ni-basis or metal-matrix composites. This study intends to give an analysis of the in-flight particle and spray jet properties achievable with two different modern thermal spraying systems using Fe-based powders. The velocity fields are measured with the Laser Doppler Anemometry. Resulting coatings are analyzed and a correlation with the particle in-flight properties is given. The experiments are accompanied by computational fluid dynamics simulations of spray jet and particle velocities, leading to a comprehensive analysis of the achievable particle properties with state-of-the-art HVOF and APS systems.

The microstructure and micromechanical behavior of thermally sprayed Fe-basedcoatings manufactured with high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) and high-velocity air fuel (HVAF) processes were investigated. Fe-Cr-Ni-Si-B-C and Fe-Cr-Ni-Mo-Si-B-C powders were used as the feedstock materials. The coatings showed a highly dense microstructure with near-zero oxidation. The microstructure of the feedstock powders was better retained when sprayed with HVAF process. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed two small exothermic peaks at about 600 °C for the HVOF-sprayed coatings, without any increase in weight in thermogravimetric analysis. It suggested the re-precipitation of carbides that were dissolved during spraying due to the higher particle temperature reported by spray diagnostics system during the HVOF process (≈1800 °C) compared to the HVAF one (≈1400 °C). Micro- and nano-indentations helped to show the difference in inter-lamellar cohesive strength and, in turn, in the particle deposition mechanism. Coatings sprayed with Fe-Cr-Ni-Mo-Si-B-C composition possessed higher sliding wear resistance than that of Fe-Cr-Ni-Si-B-C due to higher nano-hardness. More specifically, HVOF-sprayed Fe-Cr-Ni-Mo-Si-B-C coating showed the largest intra-lamellar hardness, the largest elasticity, and high quality of particle interfaces which resulted in lower sliding wear rate.

The microstructure and micromechanical behavior of thermally sprayed Fe-basedcoatings manufactured with high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) and high-velocity air fuel (HVAF) processes were investigated. Fe-Cr-Ni-Si-B-C and Fe-Cr-Ni-Mo-Si-B-C powders were used as the feedstock materials. The coatings showed a highly dense microstructure with near-zero oxidation. The microstructure of the feedstock powders was better retained when sprayed with HVAF process. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed two small exothermic peaks at about 600 °C for the HVOF-sprayed coatings, without any increase in weight in thermogravimetric analysis. It suggested the re-precipitation of carbides that were dissolved during spraying due to the higher particle temperature reported by spray diagnostics system during the HVOF process (≈1800 °C) compared to the HVAF one (≈1400 °C). Micro- and nano-indentations helped to show the difference in inter-lamellar cohesive strength and, in turn, in the particle deposition mechanism. Coatings sprayed with Fe-Cr-Ni-Mo-Si-B-C composition possessed higher sliding wear resistance than that of Fe-Cr-Ni-Si-B-C due to higher nano-hardness. More specifically, HVOF-sprayed Fe-Cr-Ni-Mo-Si-B-C coating showed the largest intra-lamellar hardness, the largest elasticity, and high quality of particle interfaces which resulted in lower sliding wear rate.

This paper shows developed compositions of neutron-absorbing cladding alloys based on nickel and containing such elements as B, Gd, Hf, and Mn. The techniques for application of coatings from these alloys on the surface of structural steels have been improved. It has been shown that the amorphous neutron-absorbing coating is more uniform than the crystalline one. The experimental data on the adhesion of cladding coatings with a steel substrate and their neutron-absorbing capacity have been obtained.

Iron-based amorphous alloys are desirable for many industrial applications due to their dual capacity to resist corrosion and wear. These alloys may also contain a significant amount of boron which makes them candidates for criticality control, for example, in high-level nuclear waste disposition applications. The Fe-basedamorphous alloys can be produced in powder form and then deposited using a HVOF thermal spray process on any surface that needs to be protected. For the current testing coupons of 316L stainless steels were coated with the amorphous alloy SAM2X5 and then tested for corrosion resistance in the salt-fog chamber and in other industrial environments. Prototype cylinders were also prepared and environmentally tested. One cylinder was 30-inch diameter, 88-inch long, and 3/8-inch thick. The coating thickness was 0.015 to 0.019-inch thick. The cylinder was in good condition after the test. Along the body of the cylinder only two pinpoint spot sized signs of rust were seen. Test results will be compared with the behavior of witness materials under the same tested conditions.

In order to understand the effects of the metalloid elements M (M: P, C, B) on the atomic structure, glass formation ability (GFA) and magnetic properties of Fe-basedamorphous alloys, Fe{sub 80}P{sub 13}C{sub 7}, Fe{sub 80}P{sub 14}B{sub 6} and Fe{sub 80}B{sub 14}C{sub 6} amorphous alloys are chosen to study through first-principle simulations in the present work. The atomic structure characteristic of the three amorphous alloys is investigated through the pair distribution functions (PDFs) and Voronoi Polyhedra (VPs) analyses. The PDFs and VPs analyses suggest that the GFA of the three alloys dropped in the order of Fe{sub 80}P{sub 13}C{sub 7}, Fe{sub 80}P{sub 14}B{sub 6}, and Fe{sub 80}B{sub 14}C{sub 6}, which is well consistent with the experimental results. The density of state (DOS) of the three amorphous alloys is calculated to investigate their magnetic properties. Based on the DOS analysis, the average magnetic moment of Fe atom in Fe{sub 80}P{sub 13}C{sub 7} and Fe{sub 80}P{sub 14}B{sub 6} amorphous alloys can be estimated to be 1.71 μ{sub B} and 1.70 μ{sub B}, respectively, which are in acceptable agreement with the experimental results. However, the calculated average magnetic moment of Fe atom in Fe{sub 80}B{sub 14}C{sub 6} amorphous alloy is about 1.62 μ{sub B}, which is far less than the experimental result.

Corrosion resistance of nanocrystalline Fe73.5Si13.5B9Nb3Cu1 alloy was investigated and compared to its amorphous counterpart. Low-temperature crystallization occurred during the annealing of amorphous tapes was used to obtain a nanocrystalline structure. The influence of annealing condition on the structure and corrosion resistance of the alloy in NaCl and H2SO4 solutions was investigated. Based on the testing results, it was found that nanocrystalline tapes have higher corrosion resistance than amorphous counterpart and H2SO4 can promote the occurrence of corrosion compared with NaCl.

Aluminum-rich coatings made by chemical vapor deposition and pack cementation on ferritic (e.g. Fe-9Cr-1Mo) and austenitic (Type 304L) substrates are being evaluated at 650-800 C. For oxidation testing, a humid air environment was used to quantify coating performance, as uncoated substrates experience rapid oxidation at these temperatures. A main goal of this work is to demonstrate the potential benefits and problems with alumina-forming coatings. The higher exposure temperatures were selected to accelerate the degradation of the coating by interdiffusion with the substrate. A general conclusion of this testing was that coatings with less Al and a ferritic Fe(Al) structure could be more durable than higher Al content aluminide coatings which have a large thermal expansion mismatch with these substrates. A lifetime model has been developed using diffusion and oxidation observations to predict coating performance as a function of temperature and initial coating composition. To test and improve the model, additional experiments are now being conducted to determine the effect of substrate composition (e.g. Cr content using Fe-12Cr and Fe-9Cr-2W substrates) and exposure temperature on the critical Al content for coating failure. Because of the unexpectedly low level of Al measured at coating failure ({approx}3.5at.% at 700 C), exposures of specimens with thick ({approx}200 {mu}m) high Al content coatings were stopped after 10kh at 800 C and 20kh at 700 C because extremely long times to failure were predicted. Post-exposure Al concentration profiles for these specimens were measured using electron microprobe.

Aluminum-rich coatings made by chemical vapor deposition and pack cementation on ferritic (e.g. Fe-9Cr-1Mo) and austenitic (Type 304L) substrates are being evaluated at 650-800 C. For oxidation testing, a humid air environment was used to quantify coating performance, as uncoated substrates experience rapid oxidation at these temperatures. A main goal of this work is to demonstrate the potential benefits and problems with alumina-forming coatings. The higher exposure temperatures were selected to accelerate the degradation of the coating by interdiffusion with the substrate. A general conclusion of this testing was that coatings with less Al and a ferritic Fe(Al) structure could be more durable than higher Al content aluminide coatings which have a large thermal expansion mismatch with these substrates. A lifetime model has been developed using diffusion and oxidation observations to predict coating performance as a function of temperature and initial coating composition. To test and improve the model, additional experiments are now being conducted to determine the effect of substrate composition (e.g. Cr content using Fe-12Cr and Fe-9Cr-2W substrates) and exposure temperature on the critical Al content for coating failure. Because of the unexpectedly low level of Al measured at coating failure ({approx}3.5 at.% at 700 C), exposures of specimens with thick ({approx}200 {micro}m) high Al content coatings were stopped after 10kh at 800 C and 20kh at 700 C because extremely long times to failure were predicted. Post-exposure Al concentration profiles for these specimens were measured using electron microprobe.

Aluminum-rich coatings made by chemical vapor deposition and pack cementation on ferritic (e.g. Fe-9Cr-1Mo) and austenitic (Type 304L) substrates are being evaluated at 650-800 C. For oxidation testing, a humid air environment was used to quantify coating performance, as uncoated substrates experience rapid oxidation at these temperatures. A main goal of this work is to demonstrate the potential benefits and problems with alumina-forming coatings. The higher exposure temperatures were selected to accelerate the degradation of the coating by interdiffusion with the substrate. A general conclusion of this testing was that coatings with less Al and a ferritic Fe(Al) structure could be more durable than higher Al content aluminide coatings which have a large thermal expansion mismatch with these substrates. A lifetime model has been developed using diffusion and oxidation observations to predict coating performance as a function of temperature and initial coating composition. To test and improve the model, additional experiments are now being conducted to determine the effect of substrate composition (e.g. Cr content using Fe-12Cr and Fe-9Cr-2W substrates) and exposure temperature on the critical Al content for coating failure. Because of the unexpectedly low level of Al measured at coating failure ({approx}3.5at.% at 700 C), exposures of specimens with thick ({approx}200 {micro}m) high Al content coatings were stopped after 10kh at 800 C and 20kh at 700 C because extremely long times to failure were predicted. Post-exposure Al concentration profiles for these specimens were measured using electron microprobe.

Cloth is coated at a temperature below about 1000.degree. C. with amorphous boron-carbon deposits in a process which provides a substantially uniform coating on all the filaments making up each yarn fiber bundle of the cloth. The coated cloths can be used in the as-deposited condition for example as wear surfaces where high hardness values are needed; or multiple layers of coated cloths can be hot-pressed to form billets useful for example in fusion reactor wall armor. Also provided is a method of controlling the atom ratio of B:C of boron-carbon deposits onto any of a variety of substrates, including cloths.

Cloth is coated at a temperature below about 1000/sup 0/C with amorphous boron-carbon deposits in a process which provides a substantially uniform coating on all the filaments making up each yarn fiber bundle of the cloth. The coated cloths can be used in the as-deposited condition for example as wear surfaces where high hardness values are needed; or multiple layers of coated cloths can be hot-pressed to form billets useful for example in fusion reactor wall armor. Also provided is a method of controlling the atom ratio of B:C of boron-carbon deposits onto any of a variety of substrates, including cloths.

Cloth is coated at a temperature below about 1000* C. With amorphous boron-carbon deposits in a process which provides a substantially uniform coating on all the filaments making up each yarn fiber bundle of the cloth. The coated cloths can be used in the as-deposited condition for example as wear surfaces where high hardness values are needed; or multiple layers of coated cloths can be hot-pressed to form billets useful for example in fusion reactor wall armor. Also provided is a method of controlling the atom ratio of b:c of boron-carbon deposits onto any of a variety of substrates, including cloths.

Natural ferromagnetic resonance (NFMR), hysteresis loops and X-ray diffraction have been studied in the Fe-rich microwires with a ratio ρ of the metallic nucleus diameter to the total diameter of the microwires ranging between 0.1 and 0.4. Both coercivity, Hc, and frequency of the NFMR, ωres, increase as ρ decreases. The splitting of ωres was explained from the coexistence of crystalline and amorphous phases.

With the aid of computer-assisted calculations of the equilibrium vapor pressures in halide-activated cementation packs, processing conditions have been identified and experimentally verified for the codeposition of two or more alloying elements in a diffusion coating on a variety of steels and refractory metal alloys. A new comprehensive theory to treat the multi-component thermodynamic equilibria in the gas phase for several coexisting solid phases was developed and used. Many different processes to deposit various types of coatings on several types of steels were developed: Cr-Si codeposition for low- or medium-carbon steels, Cr-Al codeposition on low-carbon steels to yield either a Kanthal-type composition (Fe-25Cr-4Al in wt.%) or else a (Fe, Cr){sub 3}Al surface composition. An Fe{sub 3}Al substrate was aluminized to achieve an FeAl surface composition, and boron was also added to ductilize the coating. The developmental Cr-lean ORNL alloys with exceptional creep resistance were Cr-Al coated to achieve excellent oxidation resistance. Alloy wires of Ni-base were aluminized to provide an average composition of Ni{sub 3}Al for use as welding rods. Several different refractory metal alloys based on Cr-Cr{sub 2}Nb have been silicided, also with germanium additions, to provide excellent oxidation resistance. A couple of developmental Cr-Zr alloys were similarly coated and tested.

The frequency dependence of asymmetry of the domain walls velocity relative to the middle plane of amorphous ribbon is investigated. An additional pressure of the same direction acting on each domain wall caused by dependence of eddy current damping on the coordinate of the domain wall is revealed. The microscopic mechanisms of this additional pressure are considered.

A combined study of the crystalline structure, the chemical interaction, and diffusion processes of the substrate/layer interface of amorphous-carbon hard coatings is presented. The structure of the coatings and their gradient layer interface to a chromium buffer layer has been investigated on two substrates [Si(100) and tool steel] using x-ray diffraction (XRD). Chemical interaction and diffusion processes at the interfaces and within the layers were analyzed by Auger electron spectroscopy and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy depth profiles. The chromium buffer layer revealed similar textured structure on both substrates. The subsequent gradient layer was determined (within XRD limits) to be amorphous and composed of an amorphous-carbon and chromium-carbide composite. The chromium carbide maintains the same stoichiometry (Cr3C2), regardless of the gradually changing chromium content. No large-scale interdiffusion was measured, either between or within the layers.

A composite-structured, high-induction, double-layered soft magnetic composite core (SMC) comprised of magnetic amorphous HB1-M, HB1, and SA1 materials was developed. A finite element analysis simulated results for the magnetic loss and magnetic flux density for three types of amorphous cores are quite different from findings for traditional magnetic core structures, such as laminated silicon steel, because the magnetostriction and permeability properties of composite-laminated no-cutting structures can be restrained. The SMC structure showed interesting results for magnetic loss, magnetic flux lines, core vibration, and sound level. The main advantage of transformers assembled with composited-cores of SA1 and HB1 over a higher-induction core single-phase transformer is the significant reduction of magnetic loss. However, the SA1 and HB1 composite core also showed worse results in terms of vibration and sound level because the magnetostriction and magnetic flux density in the core distribution are not quite identical to the results for other core types.

The hardness of thin (1.0-4.0 μm) hydroxyapatite coatings with different structures (nanocrystalline, amorphous-crystalline, and amorphous) grown by rf magnetron sputtering on Ti and Si plates has been studied using the nanoindentation method. All the grown structures are characterized by the strain which has reversible and irreversible components. The hardness of nanocrystalline coatings (about 10 GPa) corresponds to the average hardness of hydroxyapatite single crystals. The structure of nanocrystalline coatings in the indentation zone and outside it has been investigated and changes in the structure under the indenter have been revealed using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. From a comparison of the hardnesses of coatings with different structures and based on an analysis of the intragranular structure, it has been assumed that the plastic deformation occurs according to a dislocation-free mechanism. The plastic deformation is interpreted in terms of the cluster representation of the hydroxyapatite structure and amorphous calcium phosphates of the same elemental composition and cluster-boundary sliding during the deformation.

Amorphous silicon carbide films formed by sputtering techniques are shown to have high reflectance in the extreme ultraviolet spectral region. X-ray scattering verifies that the atomic arrangements in these films are amorphous, while Auger electron spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy show that the films have composition close to stoichiometric SiC, although slightly C-rich, with low impurity levels. Reflectance vs incidence angle measurements from 24 to 1216 A were used to derive optical constants of this material, which are presented here. Additionally, the measured extreme ultraviolet efficiency of a diffraction grating overcoated with sputtered amorphous silicon carbide is presented, demonstrating the feasibility of using these films as coatings for EUV optics.

In this letter, we propose an in situ detection method for obtaining permeability of soft magnetic Fe-basedamorphous alloys. The temperature dependence of ac resistance was measured at different frequencies during heat treatment of Fe{sub 84}Nb{sub 7}B{sub 9} amorphous alloys. A significant increase in the ac ({approx}1000 kHz) resistance appears at around 920 K during the heating process, which arises from the skin effect caused by a marked increase in sample permeability. This skin effect diminishes when the sample is heated to approximately 1100 K, which corresponds to the decrease in its permeability. Consequently, we note that the ac resistance measurement is useful for quick in situ assessment to achieve the soft magnetic property of an Fe-basedamorphous alloy.

An experimental and numerical investigation of the hardness and associated plastic deformation in as-deposited and as-annealed nickel-phosphorus (Ni-P) coatings was conducted. In addition to the indentation-deformation behavior, the deformation morphology underneath the indenter was examined. The yield strength extracted from the indentation data is as high as 5.6 GPa, indicating pressure-sensitive plasticity. Results show that the as-deposited Ni-P coating was deformed appreciably through the shear-band mechanism with semi-circular and radial shear-band morphologies. From the incremental loading-unloading cyclic experiments, the phenomena on hardening and recovery, which have scarcely been recognized in amorphous materials at room temperature, were observed in the amorphouscoating using instrumented nanoindentation. A numerical simulation of the interfacial indentation test between the Ni-P coating and the substrate reveals the pile-up and shear bands of the Ni-P coating that were observed during the indentation tests.

Replacement of hard chromium plating has been of particular interest to many industrial applications, including automotive, aircraft, and machinery parts that require high hardness and wear/corrosion resistance. Co-W alloy coatings, owing to their eco-friendly processing and high hardness/wear resistance, are promising for electrolytic chromium replacement. In the present study, pulsed electrodeposition of amorphous and crystalline Co-W coating is reported. Systematic investigations on the effect of pulse duty cycle and pulse frequency on development of surface microstructure, phases, composition, surface roughness, and micro-hardness are presented. Furthermore, detailed analysis of micro-/nano-mechanical (using ball-on-disc wear tester and nanoindentor) and corrosion (using potentiodynamic polarization method) behavior of optimized Co-W coatings is presented.

Low mechanical loss at low temperatures and a high index of refraction should make silicon optimally suited for thermal noise reduction in highly reflective mirror coatings for gravitational wave detectors. However, due to high optical absorption, amorphous silicon (aSi) is unsuitable for being used as a direct high-index coating material to replace tantala. A possible solution is a multimaterial design, which enables exploitation of the excellent mechanical properties of aSi in the lower coating layers. The possible number of aSi layers increases with absorption reduction. In this work, the optimum heat treatment temperature of aSi deposited via ion-beam sputtering was investigated and found to be 450 °C . For this temperature, the absorption after deposition of a single layer of aSi at 1064 nm and 1550 nm was reduced by more than 80%.

A system for coating a surface comprising providing a source of amorphous metal that contains more than 11 elements and applying the amorphous metal that contains more than 11 elements to the surface by a spray. Also a coating comprising a composite material made of amorphous metal that contains more than 11 elements. An apparatus for producing a corrosion-resistant amorphous-metal coating on a structure comprises a deposition chamber, a deposition source in the deposition chamber that produces a deposition spray, the deposition source containing a composite material made of amorphous metal that contains more than 11 elements, and a system that directs the deposition spray onto the structure.

A system for coating a surface comprising providing a source of amorphous metal that contains more than 11 elements and applying the amorphous metal that contains more than 11 elements to the surface by a spray. Also a coating comprising a composite material made of amorphous metal that contains more than 11 elements. An apparatus for producing a corrosion-resistant amorphous-metal coating on a structure comprises a deposition chamber, a deposition source in the deposition chamber that produces a deposition spray, the deposition source containing a composite material made of amorphous metal that contains more than 11 elements, and a system that directs the deposition spray onto the structure.

Several studies have demonstrated the influence of surface properties (surface energy, composition and topography) of biocompatible materials on the adhesion of cells/bacteria on solid substrates; however, few have provided information about the effect of the atomic arrangement or crystallinity. Using magnetron sputtering deposition, we produced amorphous and crystalline TiO2 and ZrO2 coatings with controlled micro and nanoscale morphology. The effect of the structure on the physical-chemical surface properties was carefully analyzed. Then, we studied how these parameters affect the adhesion of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Our findings demonstrated that the nano-topography and the surface energy were significantly influenced by the coating structure. Bacterial adhesion at micro-rough (2.6 μm) surfaces was independent of the surface composition and structure, contrary to the observation in sub-micron (0.5 μm) rough surfaces, where the crystalline oxides (TiO2>ZrO2) surfaces exhibited higher numbers of attached bacteria. Particularly, crystalline TiO2, which presented a predominant acidic nature, was more attractive for the adhesion of the negatively charged bacteria. The information provided by this study, where surface modifications are introduced by means of the deposition of amorphous or crystalline oxide coatings, offers a route for the rational design of implant surfaces to control or inhibit bacterial adhesion. PMID:26354243

The feasibility to coat large SNF/HLW containers with a structurally amorphous material (SAM) was demonstrated on sub-scale models fabricated from Type 316L stainless steel. The sub-scale model were coated with SAM 1651 material using kerosene high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) torch to thicknesses ranging from 1 mm to 2 mm. The process parameters such as standoff distance, oxygen flow, and kerosene flow, were optimized in order to improve the corrosion properties of the coatings. Testing in an electrochemical cell and long-term exposure to a salt spray environment were used to guide the selection of process parameters.

Anti-reflective (AR) and high reflector (HR) optical coatings were made by physical vapor deposition (PVD) of Teflon AF2400, a perfluorinated amorphous polymer. The AR had the highest laser damage thresholds recorded for PVD coatings at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory damage facility. The HR was a multilayer of ZnS and AF2400. The bandwidth was 550 mn, centered at 1064 mn. Single layers of Teflon AF2400 deposited by PVD were characterized optically. The refractive index could be intentionally reduced below the bulk value by varying either deposition rate or substrate temperature. Scanning electron microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance observations indicated that morphological changes caused the variations in the refractive index rather than compositional changes.

Amorphous Be-B-X alloys are vapor deposited as coatings. The microstructure and hardness of the Be-B-X coatings are examined using transmission electron microscopy and nanoindentation, respectively. Whereas a Be-B-2.5 at.% Cu amorphouscoating is found to crystallize to a cubic Be-33 at.% B phase at 673 K, a coating of Be-B-1.8 at.% Fe-0.4 at.% Cr-0.3 at.% Co does not crystallize until at a higher temperature of 748 K. The hardness of the amorphous Be-B-X coating increases with B content but is less than its crystalline counterparts.

Direct CVD deposition of dense, continuous, and adherent diamond films on conventional Fe-based alloys has long been considered impossible. The current study demonstrates that such a deposition can be realized on Al, Cr-modified Fe-based alloy substrate (FeAl or FeCrAl). To clarify the fundamental mechanism of Al, Cr in promoting diamond growth and enhancing interfacial adhesion, fine structure and chemical analysis around the diamond film-substrate interface have been comprehensively characterized by transmission electron microscopy. An intermediate graphite layer forms on those Al-free substrates such as pure Fe and FeCr, which significantly deteriorates the interfacial adhesion of diamond. In contrast, such a graphite layer is absent on the FeAl and FeCrAl substrates, whereas a very thin Al-rich amorphous oxide sublayer is always identified between the diamond film and substrate interface. These comparative results indicate that the Al-rich interfacial oxide layer acts as an effective barrier to prevent the formation of graphite phase and consequently enhance diamond growth and adhesion. The adhesion of diamond film formed on FeCrAl is especially superior to that formed on FeAl substrate. This can be further attributed to a synergetic effect including the reduced fraction of Al and the decreased substrate thermal-expansion coefficient on FeCrAl in comparison with FeAl, and a mechanical interlocking effect due to the formation of interfacial chromium carbides. Accordingly, a mechanism model is proposed to account for the different interfacial adhesion of diamond grown on the various Fe-based substrates. PMID:23829602

Over the past decade, researchers have demonstrated much interest in laser cladded metal matrix composite coatings for its good wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and high temperature properties. In this paper, in-situ (Ti, Nb)C particle reinforced Fe-based composite coatings were produced by laser cladding. The effects of Ti/Nb(atomic ratio) in the cladding powder on the formation mechanism and distribution characteristics of multiple particle were investigated. The results showed that when Ti/Nb > 1, Ti had a stronger ability to bond with C compared with Nb. (Ti, Nb)C multiple particles with TiC core formed in the molten pool. With the decrease of Ti/Nb, core-shell structure disappeared, the structure of particle got close to that of NbC gradually. It is found that the amount, area ratio and distribution of the reinforced particle in the coating containing Ti and Nb elements were improved, compared with these in the coating containing equal Nb element. When Ti/Nb = 1, the effects above-mentioned is most prominent, and the wear resistance of the coating is promoted obviously.

NiCrBSi, Cr3C2-NiCr, Ni-20Cr, and Stellite-6 coatings were deposited on an Fe-based superalloy by the high-velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) thermal spray process. The hot corrosion behavior of the coatings in an aggressive environment of Na2SO4-60%V2O5 at 900 °C under cyclic conditions was studied. The thermogravimetric technique was used to establish the kinetics of corrosion. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive x-ray and electron probe microanalysis techniques were used to analyze the corrosion products. Hot corrosion resistances of all the coatings were found to be better than the uncoated superalloy. The Ni-20Cr coating was found to be the most protective, followed by Cr3C2-NiCr coatings. The Ni-20Cr coating had reduced the mass gain by 90% of that gained by the uncoated superalloy. The hot corrosion resistance shown by the Cr3C2-NiCr coating was slightly better compared with the NiCrBSi coating; however, both of the coatings performed better than the Stellite-6 coating. The Stellite-6 coating was the least effective among the coatings studied, but it was still successful in decreasing the mass gain to about one fourth compared with the uncoated superalloy. The formation of oxides and spinels of nickel, chromium, or cobalt may be contributing to the development of hot corrosion resistance in the coatings. This article focuses on the hot corrosion behavior of HVOF coatings. The characterization of these coatings has been presented in part I included in this issue.

Results on the roles played by the magnetoelastic and magnetostatic anisotropy terms in the magnetic behavior of glass-coated magnetostrictive amorphous nanowires prepared by means of rapid solidification are reported. Their contributions have been analyzed both experimentally, through hysteresis loop measurements, and theoretically, using micromagnetic simulations. All the investigated samples exhibit a magnetically bistable behavior, characterized by a single-step magnetization reversal when the applied field reaches a critical threshold value, called switching field. The combined interpretation of the experimental and theoretical data allows one to understand the effect of the magnetoelastic term on the value of the switching field, on one hand, and the effect of the magnetostatic term on the nucleation mechanism on the other, both with an essential impact on the characteristics of the nanowires' magnetic bistability. The results are crucial for understanding the basic magnetic properties of these novel rapidly solidified ultrathin magnetic wires, as well as for tailoring their properties according to the specific requirements of various sensing applications.

Thermal spray processes have been widely used to minimize losses caused by wear mechanisms. Sprayed deposits using conventional wire and powder materials have been long solving tribological problems in engineering equipment. More recently, the option for new different technologies and consumables like nanostructured powder materials and nanocomposite cored wires have expanded the possibilities for technical solutions. Cored wire technology allows the use of compositions that cannot be drawn into wire form like carbides in metallic matrix and high-temperature materials, thus, intensifying the use of spraying processes with low operating cost to demanding wear and corrosion applications. The objective of this work was to study the mechanical characteristics and wear performance of coatings obtained by Flame, Wire Arc, and HVOF spraying using selected nanostructured WC10Co4Cr, WC12Co, and Fe-based 140 MXC powder and wire materials. Abrasive wear performance of the coatings was determinate following the ASTM G-65 standard. Based on the results, a higher abrasive wear resistance was found for the HVOF-sprayed WC10Co4Cr nanostructured coating.

The fast degradation rates in the physiological environment constitute the main limitation for the applications of surgical magnesium alloys as biodegradable hard-tissue implants. In this work, a stable and dense hydrogenated amorphous silicon coating (a-Si:H) with desirable bioactivity is deposited on AZ91 magnesium alloy using magnetron sputtering deposition. Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy reveal that the coating is mainly composed of hydrogenated amorphous silicon. The hardness of the coated alloy is enhanced significantly and the coating is quite hydrophilic as well. Potentiodynamic polarization results show that the corrosion resistance of the coated alloy is enhanced dramatically. In addition, the deterioration process of the coating in simulated body fluids is systematically investigated by open circuit potential evolution and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The cytocompatibility of the coated Mg is evaluated for the first time using hFOB1.19 cells and favorable biocompatibility is observed. PMID:18449935

This article demonstrates the successful formulation of NiCrBSi, Cr3C2-NiCr, Ni-20Cr, and Stellite-6 coatings on an Fe-based superalloy by a high-velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) process for hot corrosion applications. The microstructure, porosity, coating thickness, phase formation, and microhardness properties of the coatings have been characterized using the combined techniques of optical microscopy, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive x-ray analysis. A microhardness tester was used to determine the hardness of the coatings. The coatings in general exhibit characteristic splat-like, layered morphologies due to the deposition and resolidification of successive molten or semimolten powder particles. The NiCrBSi, Cr3C2-NiCr, and Ni-20Cr coatings have shown a nickel-base face-centered cubic (fcc) structure as a principal phase, whereas Stellite-6 coating has an fcc Co-rich metallic matrix. Oxides/spinel oxides are formed in small fraction as intersplat lamellae or globules oriented parallel to the substrate surface. Coatings possess some unmelted/partially melted particles, inclusions, and porosity less than 2%. The microhardness of the coatings is found to be higher than the superalloys. The Cr3C2-NiCr coating has indicated a maximum microhardness of 990 Hv, while a Ni-20Cr coating has shown a minimum value of about 600 Hv. This article is focused on the characterization of HVOF coatings. The hot corrosion behavior of these coatings in a molten salt (Na2SO4-60%V2O5) environment at 900 °C under cyclic conditions is being presented as part II included in this issue.

Iron-based amorphous alloys are desirable industrial materials since they are highly resistant to corrosion and possess enhanced hardness for wear resistance. The amorphous materials can be produced from the melt as powder and later spray deposited as coatings on large engineering structures. As a laboratory experiment, SAM2X5 powder was coated on electrochemical specimens of 304SS for testing. Results show that the coated specimens did not perform satisfactorily during the laboratory testing. This is because of partial devitrification during the deposition of the powder on the small specimen substrates.

Although amorphous solid drug formulations may be advantageous for enhancing the bioavailability of poorly soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients, they exhibit poor physical stability and undergo recrystallization. To address this limitation, this study investigates stability issues associated with amorphous solids through analysis of the crystallization behavior for acetaminophen (APAP), known as a fast crystallizer, using a modified form of the Avrami equation that kinetically models both surface and bulk crystallization. It is found that surface-enhanced crystallization, occurring faster at the free surface than in the bulk, is the major impediment to the stability of amorphous APAP. It is hypothesized that a novel use of a dry-polymer-coating process referred to as mechanical-dry-polymer-coating may be used to inhibit surface crystallization and enhance stability. The proposed process, which is examined, simultaneously mills and coatsamorphous solids with polymer, while avoiding solvents or solutions, which may otherwise cause stability or crystallization issues during coating. It is shown that solid dispersions of APAP (64% loading) with a small particle size (28 μm) could be prepared and coated with the polymer, carnauba wax, in a vibratory ball mill. The resulting amorphous solid was found to have excellent stability as a result of inhibition of surface crystallization. PMID:25902736

An amorphous-nanocrystals reinforced composite coating was fabricated on TA15 titanium alloy substrate by laser alloying of Al-Sn-B4C-SiC-TiN-Y2O3 mixed powders, which greatly improved the wear resistance of substrate. Experimental results indicated that Al-Sn nanocrystalline phases were produced through in situ metallurgical reactions, which blocked the motion of dislocation. The productions of the eutectics, such as Ti-Si greatly promoted the formation of amorphous phases in such coating. Compared with the substrate, higher wear resistance of laser alloying coating was mainly ascribed to the hard phase, amorphous-nanocrystalline phases and fine grain strengthening. This research provided essential theoretical and experimental basis to promote the application of laser alloying technique in modern aviation industry.

Fe-based bulk metallic glasses (amorphous metals) have been developed, and several compositions are shown to have excellent corrosion resistance in chloride solutions. Further, thermal-spray amorphous metals are being developed for use as a barrier coating layer, to protect substrate materials from corrosion. Galvanic action between dissimilar metals and the coating/substrate for the amorphous-alloy coatings is of practical interest for a number of applications. The mixed-potential theory provides a useful approach for examining the corrosion behavior of the component materials in the galvanic couple and is applied in this study. Galvanic action was studied for an Fe-based structurally amorphous metal (SAM) 1651 and several crystalline alloys that included 1018 C-steel, stainless steel (SS) 316L, and alloy 22. Anodic and cathodic polarization curves of each of the metals were measured by potentiodynamic polarization. Based on the mixed-potential theory, the behavior of the component materials in a galvanic cell was predicted. The predictions are compared to the measured behavior of galvanic couples with the crystalline alloys.

Graphical abstract: Simple chemical synthesis of PbS nanoparticle coatedamorphous carbon nanotubes have shown better thermal stability and enhanced electron field emission properties. Highlights: {yields} PbS nanocrystals coatedamorphous carbon nanotubes have been synthesized through a simple chemical route at low temperature. {yields} The composite is thermally more stable than amorphous CNTs. {yields} Composite have shown excellent cold cathode field emission property. -- Abstract: A simple chemical route for the synthesis of PbS nanoparticle coatedamorphous carbon nanotubes (aCNTs) was described. The nanocomposite was prepared from an aqueous suspension of acid functionalized aCNTs, lead acetate (PbAc), and thiourea (TU) at room temperature. The phase formation and composition of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive analysis of X-ray studies. The Fourier transformed infrared spectra analysis revealed the attachment of PbS nanoparticles on the acid functionalized aCNT surfaces. Morphology of the samples was analyzed with a field emission scanning electron microscope. UV-Vis study also confirmed the attachment of PbS nanoparticles on the walls of aCNTs. Thermal gravimetric analysis showed that the PbS coated aCNTs are more thermally stable than functionalized aCNTs. The PbS coated aCNTs showed enhanced field emission properties with a turn-on field 3.34 V {mu}m{sup -1} and the result is comparable to that of pure crystalline CNTs.

Decorative and protective Ni-P amorphouscoatings were electroplated onto NdFeB permanent magnet from an ortho-phosphorous acid contained bath. The influences of the main electroplating technological parameters including current density, bath pH, bath temperature and H 3PO 3 on the structure and chemical composition of Ni-P coatings were investigated by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques in conjunction with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning transmission electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDX). The optimized amorphous Ni-P coated NdFeB can stand for ca. 180 h against neutral 3.0 wt.% NaCl salt spray without any pitting corrosion. Meanwhile, the results also showed that large phosphorous content is the precondition for Ni-P coatings to possess the amorphous structure, but too much high phosphorous content can damage the amorphous structure due to the separation of superfluous P from Ni 2P/Ni 3P and the resultant formation of multi-phase coatings (such as Ni 2P-P).

Amorphous TiO{sub 2}-coated ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by the solvothermal synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles in ethanol and the followed by sol-gel coating of TiO{sub 2} nanolayer. The analyses of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the resultant ZnO nanoparticles were hexagonal with a wurtzite structure and a mean diameter of about 60 nm. Also, after TiO{sub 2} coating, the TEM images clearly indicated the darker ZnO nanoparticles being surrounded by the lighter amorphous TiO{sub 2} layers. The zeta potential analysis revealed the pH dependence of zeta potentials for ZnO nanoparticles shifted completely to that for TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles after TiO{sub 2} coating, confirming the formation of core-shell structure and suggesting the coating of TiO{sub 2} was achieved via the adhesion of the hydrolyzed species Ti-O{sup -} to the positively charged surface of ZnO nanoparticles. Furthermore, the analyses of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectra were also conducted to confirm that amorphous TiO{sub 2} were indeed coated on the surface of ZnO nanoparticles. In addition, the analyses of ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra revealed that the absorbance of amorphous TiO{sub 2}-coated ZnO nanoparticles at 375 nm gradually decreased with an increase in the Ti/Zn molar ratio and the time for TiO{sub 2} coating, and the emission intensity of ZnO cores could be significantly enhanced by the amorphous TiO{sub 2} shell. - Graphical abstract: Amorphous titania-coated ZnO nanoparticles with a core-shell structure were prepared. It was found that the emission intensity of ZnO cores could be significantly enhanced by the amorphous TiO{sub 2} shell.

Calcia-doped ceria is of potential interest as an ultraviolet (UV) radiation blocking material in personal care products. However, its high catalytic ability for oxidation of organic materials makes it difficult to use as a sunscreen material. Therefore, calcia-doped ceria was coated with amorphous silica by means of seeded polymerization technique in order to depress its oxidation catalytic ability. The catalytic ability as well as UV-shielding ability was investigated for coated particles.

Amorphous materials are used as soft magnetic materials and also as surface coatings to improve the surface properties. Furthermore, the nanocrystalline materials derived from their amorphous precursors show superior soft magnetic properties than amorphous counter parts for transformer core applications. In the present work, laser based processing of amorphous materials will be presented. Conventionally, the nanocrystalline materials are synthesized by furnace heat treatment of amorphous precursors. Fe-basedamorphous/nanocrystalline materials due to their low cost and superior magnetic properties are the most widely used soft magnetic materials. However, achieving nanocrystalline microstructure in Fe-Si-B ternary system becomes very difficult owing its rapid growth rate at higher temperatures and sluggish diffusion at low temperature annealing. Hence, nanocrystallization in this system is achieved by using alloying additions (Cu and Nb) in the ternary Fe-Si-B system. Thus, increasing the cost and also resulting in reduction of saturation magnetization. laser processing technique is used to achieve extremely fine nanocrystalline microstructure in Fe-Si-B amorphous precursor. Microstructure-magnetic Property-laser processing co-relationship has been established for Fe-Si-B ternary system using analytical techniques. Laser processing improved the magnetic properties with significant increase in saturation magnetization and near zero coercivity values. Amorphous materials exhibit excellent corrosion resistance by virtue of their atomic structure. Fe-basedamorphous materials are economical and due to their ease of processing are of potential interest to synthesize as coatings materials for wear and corrosion resistance applications. Fe-Cr-Mo-Y-C-B amorphous system was used to develop thick coatings on 4130 Steel substrate and the corrosion resistance of the amorphouscoatings was improved. It is also shown that the mode of corrosion depends on the laser processing

Ion-beam sputtered amorphous heavy metal oxides, such as Ta2O5, are widely used as the high refractive index layer of highly reflective dielectric coatings. Such coatings are used in the ground based Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), in which mechanical loss, directly related to Brownian thermal noise, from the coatings forms an important limit to the sensitivity of the LIGO detector. It has previously been shown that heat-treatment and TiO2 doping of amorphous Ta2O5 coatings causes significant changes to the levels of mechanical loss measured and is thought to result from changes in the atomic structure. This work aims to find ways to reduce the levels of mechanical loss in the coatings by understanding the atomic structure properties that are responsible for it, and thus helping to increase the LIGO detector sensitivity. Using a combination of Reduced Density Functions (RDFs) from electron diffraction and Fluctuation Electron Microscopy (FEM), we probe the medium range order (in the 2-3 nm range) of these amorphouscoatings.

Alumina-zirconia ceramic material has been plasma sprayed using a water-stabilized plasma torch to produce free standing coatings. The as-sprayed coatings have very low porosity and are mostly amorphous. The amorphous material crystallizes at temperatures above 900 °C. A spark plasma sintering apparatus has been used to heat the as-sprayed samples to temperatures above 900 °C to induce crystallization, while at the same time, a uniaxial pressure of 80 MPa has been applied to their surface. After such post-treatment, the ceramic samples are crystalline and have very low open porosity. The post-treated material exhibits high hardness and significantly increased flexural strength. The post-treated samples have a microstructure that is best described as nanocomposite with the very small crystallites embedded in an amorphous matrix.

Amorphous metal and ceramic thermal spray coatings have been developed that can be used to enhance the corrosion resistance of containers for the transportation, aging and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive wastes. Iron-based amorphous metal formulations with chromium, molybdenum and tungsten have shown the corrosion resistance believed to be necessary for such applications. Rare earth additions enable very low critical cooling rates to be achieved. The boron content of these materials, and their stability at high neutron doses, enable them to serve as high efficiency neutron absorbers for criticality control. Ceramic coatings may provide even greater corrosion resistance for container applications, though the boron-containing amorphous metals are still favored for criticality control applications. These amorphous metal and ceramic materials have been produced as gas atomized powders and applied as near full density, non-porous coatings with the high-velocity oxy-fuel process. This paper summarizes the performance of these coatings as corrosion-resistant barriers, and as neutron absorbers. Relevant corrosion models are also discussed, as well as a cost model to quantify the economic benefits possible with these new materials.

The complex permittivity and permeability of composites filled with Fe-based microwires are measured in a coaxial line at frequencies from 0.01 to 10 GHz.The samples under study consist of closely packed wire sections with various orientations relative to wave vector. The composites, where the wires are collinear to the coaxial axis, are found to be low permeable. Their permittivity has frequency dispersion governed by the length of the wire and its linear impedance. The middle section of the wire has higher impedance than that of the end sections where the regular domain structure is distorted. Magnetic bias parallel to the wire axis affects the linear impedance and parameters of dielectric absorption of a composite, the effect is proportional to bias strength. The samples of a coil-type structure, where the wires are wound around the coaxial axis, display the intensive magnetic absorption attributed to the domain wall motion. The absorption takes place in the megahertz band, at microwaves the permeability is close to unity. The microwave properties of diluted composites filled with randomly oriented permeable wires are discussed.

Amorphous/nanocrystalline coatings are useful in high strength and wear-resistant applications. In the present study, the microstructural evolution of a nanocrystalline high performance steel coatings developed by different spray processes along with a novel "hybrid thermal spray" technique was studied. The hybrid-spray process combines arc and high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) techniques, in which the molten metal at the arcing tip is atomized and rapidly propelled toward the substrate by HVOF jet. This so-called hybrid concept offers the benefits of productivity of electric arc spray combined with improved coating densities of HVOF. The microstructural characterization of the hybrid-spray coatings was performed by x-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry, and then compared with coatings of the similar material developed by plasma-, HVOF-, and arc-spray processes individually. The HVOF- and plasma-spray coatings showed amorphous structures with very fine nanocrystals embedded, whereas hybrid- and arc-spray techniques yielded completely crystalline coatings with grain size in the range of several nanometers. The final microstructures in different spray processes could be attributed to the precursor materials employed, process temperatures, and cooling rates during the deposition process.

Waterside corrosion of the Zircaloy cladding encasing the uranium oxide pellets is one of the primary factors limiting high "burn up" of nuclear fuel in pressurized water reactors (PWRs). High "burn up" can significantly impact plant safety and economics. Amorphous aluminum oxide coatings with aluminum-based compositional gradient layers (CGLs) were fabricated to develop ceramic coating corrosion protection systems for Zircaloy. Aluminum films were deposited on Zircaloy substrates by electron-beam evaporation, and two-step heat treatments were performed at near the melting temperature of aluminum. Amorphous alumina coatings by rf magnetron sputtering were overcoated on the CGL structures. Morphological and compositional studies were completed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE SEM), energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX), and auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The AES depth profiles of the annealed coatings showed that gradient compositions of Al, Zr, and O were obtained. Glancing angle x-ray diffraction (GAXRD) analysis showed that a variety of intermetallic and oxide phases (such as Al3Zr, Al2Zr3, Al2O3, ZrO2 and Zr3O) were formed in the coatings during processing. The intermetallic layers improved the adhesion property of the alumina overcoating to Zircaloy substrate, and functioned as oxidation resistant layers. In spite of the successful construction of the compositional gradient layer system with a good adhesion and thermal stability, and the report about the stability of pure alumina and amorphous ceramics in hydrothermal conditions, the amorphous alumina coatings in our study were not stable under nuclear reactor conditions of subcritical water at 350°C and 20.1 MPa (3000 psi). We investigated the behavior of amorphous alumina thin films deposited on Zircaloy substrates in the near-supercritical water. When the coatings were exposed to the subcritical conditions, hydrothermally grown well-faceted crystallite formation was observed

Amorphous carbon incorporated with titanium (a-C:Ti) was coated on 316L stainless steel (SS) by magnetron sputtering technique to attain superior tribological properties, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. The morphology, topography and functional groups of the nanostructured a-C:Ti coatings in various concentrations were analyzed using atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman, X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Raman and XPS analyses confirmed the increase in sp2 bonds with increasing titanium content in the a-C matrix. TEM analysis confirmed the composite nature of the coating and the presence of nanostructured TiC for Ti content of 2.33 at.%. This coating showed superior tribological properties compared to the other a-C:Ti coatings. Furthermore, electrochemical corrosion studies were performed against stimulated body fluid medium in which all the a-C:Ti coatings showed improved corrosion resistance than the pure a-C coating. Preosteoblasts proliferation and viability on the specimens were tested and the results showed that a-C:Ti coatings with relatively high Ti (3.77 at.%) content had better biocompatibility. Based on the results of this work, highly durable coatings with good biocompatibility could be achieved by incorporation of optimum amount of Ti in a-C coatings deposited on SS by magnetron sputtering technique.

Hard chromium coatings (0.25 to10 mil thick) are used extensively for imparting wear and erosion resistance to components in both industrial and military applications. The most common means of depositing hard chromium has been through the use of chromic acid baths containing ...

The Ti-C-Ni-Cr and Ti-C-Ni-Cr-Al-Si nanocomposite coatings based on amorphous carbon and the nanosized particles were synthesized by magnetron method. The results of the microstructure features and mechanical properties investigations of these coatings are presented. The thermal stability of microstructure and properties of these coatings at tempering up to 900°C were investigated. These coatings have a high (11-18 GPa) hardness, low (μ < 0.2) the coefficient of friction and high thermal stability of the microstructure and properties up to 700°C. The features of elastically stressed state of nanosized particles in these coatings were founded. A high local internal stresses in the TiC nanoscale particles do not observed.

In principle, boron (B) as a material has many excellent surface properties, including corrosion resistance, very high hardness, refractory properties, and a strong tendency to bond with most substrates. The potential technological benefits of the material have not been realized, because it is difficult to deposit it as coatings. B is difficult to evaporate, does not sputter well, and cannot be thermally sprayed. In this article, first successful deposition results from a robust system, based on the vacuum (cathodic) arc technology, are reported. Adherent coatings have been produced on 1100 Al, CP-Ti, Ti-6Al-4V, 316 SS, hard chrome plate, and 52 100 steel. Composition and thickness analyses have been performed by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. Hardness (H) and modules (E) have been evaluated by nanoindentation. The coatings are very pure and have properties characteristic of B suboxides. A microhardness of up to 27 GPa has been measured on a 400-nm-thick film deposited on 52 100 steel, with a corresponding modulus of 180 GPa. This gives a very high value for the H/E ratio, a figure-of-merit for impact resistance of the film. A number of applications are contemplated, including corrosion/abrasion protection for die-casting dies and improved wear resistance for biomedical implants.

The object of the present study was the corrosion-resistant amorphizing alloys with an increased content of boron for cladding the surface of metals, rapidly quenched alloys without boron for protective coatings on a high-boron cladding layer, as well as steel samples with a protective coating with a high content of boron and without boron. The aim of the work is to investigate the corrosion resistance of a coating in water at the temperature of 40 °C in conditions of an open access of oxygen for 1000 h, as well as the features of the microstructure of clad samples before and after the corrosion tests. New data on the corrosion resistance of Cr18Ni10Ti steel samples with a protective layer from a rapidly quenched alloy Ni-19Cr-10Si (in wt.%) on a high-boron coating have been obtained.

Solid- and hollow-cored nanoparticles of amorphous boron coated with crystalline boron nitride (BN) have been synthesized by pulsed-laser vaporization of BN, where the laser plume was controlled with a modulated plasma jet. The hollow particles (nanoballoons) were coated with BN both on the interior and exterior surfaces. The solid particles ranged from a few to 40 nm in their size. The typical diameter of the hollow particles and their wall thickness were about 200 and 30 nm, respectively. The nanoballoons were obtained only when the plasma modulation was synchronized with the ArF excimer-laser pulses.

Ni-W alloy coating is a kind of promising environmental friendly alloy to substitute for hard chrome plating, for its excellent functional properties. Their properties depend mainly on the structure and defect, such as cracks. The crack is catastrophe to both physical and chemical properties and crystalline state also affect their properties and application. In this work, nanocrystalline nickel tungsten alloy (nc Ni-W) coating, amorphous nickel tungsten alloy (a Ni-W) coating and crystalline nickel tungsten alloy (c Ni-W) coating were prepared under ultrasonic direct current (UDC) electroplating. The aim of the present study is to achieve structure control and high surface quality of Ni-W alloy coatings, and investigate corrosion properties of these coatings to explain the contradiction of better corrosion resistance of nc Ni-W coating than a Ni-W coating in experiment and theory. Thus X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) were used to examine the composition, crystalline state, microstructures and defects of the samples. Moreover, potentiodynamic polarization test was used to study the corrosion behavior of electroplated nickel-tungsten alloys.

In this paper, a dense and seamless SiBCN(O) amorphouscoating with a few ZrSiO4 particles is prepared by low-cost slurry method and sintered at 1573 K, namely ZrSiO4-SiBCN(O) amorphouscoating. During its preparation process, by employing the polyborosilazane (PBSZ)-ethanol solution as the precursor, the sintering temperature of the coating is significantly reduced and its densification is greatly improved as well. The coating was heat-treated in stagnant laboratory air at 1773 K from 5 min to 8 h. It shows high oxidation protecting performance during oxidation and the oxidation mechanism includes three stages, that are active oxidation, defection healing and oxygen diffusion at 1773 K. It was also found that, by introducing the ZrSiO4 particles into the SiBCN(O) amorphouscoating, the propagation of micro-cracks during its oxidation process is prominently inhibited.

New corrosion-resistant, iron-based amorphous metals have been identified from published data or developed through combinatorial synthesis, and tested to determine their relative corrosion resistance. Many of these materials can be applied as coatings with advanced thermal spray technology. Two compositions have corrosion resistance superior to wrought nickel-based Alloy C-22 (UNS No. N06022) in some very aggressive environments, including concentrated calcium-chloride brines at elevated temperature. Two Fe-basedamorphous metal formulations have been found that appear to have corrosion resistance comparable to, or better than that of Ni-based Alloy C-22, based on breakdown potential and corrosion rate. Both Cr and Mo provide corrosion resistance, B enables glass formation, and Y lowers critical cooling rate (CCR). SAM1651 has yttrium added, and has a nominal critical cooling rate of only 80 Kelvin per second, while SAM2X7 (similar to SAM2X5) has no yttrium, and a relatively high critical cooling rate of 610 Kelvin per second. Both amorphous metal formulations have strengths and weaknesses. SAM1651 (yttrium added) has a low critical cooling rate (CCR), which enables it to be rendered as a completely amorphous thermal spray coating. Unfortunately, it is relatively difficult to atomize, with powders being irregular in shape. This causes the powder to be difficult to pneumatically convey during thermal spray deposition. Gas atomized SAM1651 powder has required cryogenic milling to eliminate irregularities that make flow difficult. SAM2X5 (no yttrium) has a high critical cooling rate, which has caused problems associated with devitrification. SAM2X5 can be gas atomized to produce spherical powders of SAM2X5, which enable more facile thermal spray deposition. The reference material, nickel-based Alloy C-22, is an outstanding corrosion-resistant engineering material. Even so, crevice corrosion has been observed with C-22 in hot sodium chloride environments without buffer

Inflammations and crystalline bacterial biofilms (encrustations) remain a major complication in long-term artificial urinary tract drainage. To solve this problem we present urological implants with coatings made of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) that show excellent protection from encrustation in-vitro as well as in-vivo. Part of the success of a-C:H coatings is attributed to their ability to act as a diffusion barrier between an implant and the body, which prevents leaching of solvents from polymeric implants. To further enhance their barrier properties a-C:H coatings are combined with parylene coatings to develop diffusion-barrier multilayer coatings with a total thickness between 0.2 μm and 0.8 μm. The combination of the two types of coatings leads to a reduction of water diffusion by a factor of up to ten with respect to uncoated 25 μm thick polyimide sub-strates. The diffusion of water vapour from a controlled atmospheric pressure chamber through coated foils to a vacuum chamber is measured in a custom-built device.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were synthesized at room temperature on potassium permanganate activated silicon and glass substrate by simple chemical method using zinc acetate as precursor. To modify the surface energy of the as prepared ZnO thin films the samples were coated with amorphous graphene (a-G) synthesized by un-zipping of chemically synthesized amorphous carbon nanotubes (a-CNTs). All the pure and coated samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. The roughness analysis of the as prepared samples was done by atomic force microscopic analysis. The detail optical properties of all the samples were studied with the help of a UV-Visible spectrophotometer. The surface energy of the as prepared pure and coated samples was calculated by measuring the contact angle of two different liquids. It is seen that the water repellence of ZnO nanorods got increased after they are being coated with a-Gs. Also even after UV irradiation the contact angle remain same unlike the case for the uncoated sample where the contact angle gets decreased significantly after UV irradiation. Existing Cassie-Wenzel model has been employed along with the Owen's approach to determine the different components of surface energy.

We have demonstrated the plasmonic characteristics of an ultrathin tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) film coated with Ag nanoparticles. The simulation result shows that, under resonant and non-resonant excitations, the strongest plasmonic electric field of 1 nm ta-C coated Ag nanoparticle is not trapped within the ta-C layer but is released to its outside surface, while leaving the weaker electric field inside ta-C layer. Moreover, this outside plasmonic field shows higher intensity than that of uncoated Ag nanoparticle, which is closely dependent on the excitation wavelength and size of Ag particles. These observations are supported by the SERS measurements. We expect that the ability for ultrathin ta-C coated Ag nanoparticles as the SERS substrates to detect low concentrations of target biomolecules opens the door to the applications where it can be used as a detection tool for integrated, on-chip devices. PMID:24675437

Graphical abstract: A dextran-coated Fe–Co nanoalloy was developed serving as a sensitive contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging applications. - Highlights: • Amorphous Fe–Co nanoalloy was prepared via wet chemical reduction approach. • The Fe–Co nanoalloy is water-soluble, stable, and biocompatible. • The Fe–Co nanoalloy is superparamagnetic. • The Fe–Co nanoalloy exhibits T{sub 2}-weighted MR enhancement both in vitro and in vivo. - Abstract: For magnetic resonance imaging applications, a facile approach for water-soluble dextran coatedamorphous Fe–Co nanoalloy was developed. The as-synthesized nanoalloy had a diameter of 9 nm with a narrow size distribution and showed superparamagnetic property with a saturated magnetization (Ms) of 25 emu/g. In vitro cytotoxicity test revealed that it was biocompatible at a concentration below 120 μg/mL. It can be uptaken by HeLa cells effectively and resulted in the obvious T{sub 2} effect after internalization. Biodistribution studies in conjunction with inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) confirmed that Fe–Co nanoalloy was preferentially accumulated in lung and spleen after intravenous injection for 4 h. In vivo MRI, dextran-coated Fe–Co nanoalloy can serve as a sensitive contrast agent for MR imaging, especially in the spleen, so we believe that it maybe hold great promise for diagnosis of splenic disease by appropriately functionalizing their surface.

Wetting transparency/translucency/opacity of graphene recently has attracted great interest. The underlying mechanisms and physics for simple liquid droplets containing small molecules on graphene coated crystalline substrates have been studied extensively. However, the behavior of more complicated polymeric droplets on graphene coatedamorphous substrates has not been explored. In this work, we perform molecular dynamics simulations to examine the wetting of long-chain ZDOL polymeric droplet on graphene coatedamorphous hydrogenated diamond-like carbon or DLCH. We find that at room temperature, the droplet adopts a nearly spherical cap shape with no protruding foot on bare DLCH, and a complex multi-layered structure is formed at the droplet-substrate interface. With addition of graphene layers, externally, the height of the droplet decreases and the protruding foot at the droplet edge appears and grows in size; while internally, the complex multi-layered structure near the droplet-substrate interface remains, but the density distribution for the formed layers becomes increasingly non-uniform. A steady state of the droplet is attained when the number of graphene layers reaches three. These changes can be explained by the interactions between the droplet and substrate across the number of graphene layers. Therefore, it is concluded that the graphene monolayer and bilayer are translucent, while trilayer and above are opaque from the wetting point of view.

A 50 nm-thick Co film has been grown either on the free surface (surface roughness, ˜6 nm) or on the wheel-side surface (surface roughness, ˜147 nm) of Co84.55Fe4.45Zr7B4 amorphous ribbons. A comparative study of the giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) effect and its field sensitivity (η) in the uncoated and Co-coated ribbons is presented. We show that the presence of the Co coating layer enhances both the GMI ratio and η in the Co-coated ribbons. Larger values for GMI ratio and η are achieved in the sample with Co coated on the free ribbon surface. The enhancement of the GMI effect in the Co-coated ribbons originates mainly from the reduction in stray fields due to surface irregularities and the enhanced magnetic flux paths closure. These findings provide good guidance for tailoring GMI in surface-modified soft ferromagnetic ribbons for use in highly sensitive magnetic sensors.

New corrosion-resistant, iron-based amorphous metals have been identified from published data or developed through combinatorial synthesis, and tested to determine their relative corrosion resistance. Many of these materials can be applied as coatings with advanced thermal spray technology. Two compositions have corrosion resistance superior to wrought nickel-based Alloy C-22 (UNS N06022) in some very aggressive environments, including concentrated calcium-chloride brines at elevated temperature. One of these compositions, SAM1651, is discussed in detail to illustrate the promise of this general class of materials.

Particulate wear debris in totally replaced hips causes adverse local host reactions. The extreme form of such a reaction, aggressive granulomatosis, was found to be a distinct condition and different from simple aseptic loosening. Reactive and adaptive tissues around the totally replaced hip were made of proliferation of local fibroblast like cells and activated macrophages. Methylmethacrylate and high-molecular-weight polyethylene were shown to be essentially immunologically inert implant materials, but in small particulate form functioned as cellular irritants initiating local biological reactions leading to loosening of the implants. Chromium-cobalt-molybdenum is the most popular metallic implant material; it is hard and tough, and the bearings of this metal are partially self-polishing. In total hip implants, prerequisites for longevity of the replaced hip are good biocompatibility of the materials and sufficient tribological properties of the bearings. The third key issue is that the bearing must minimize frictional shear at the prosthetic bone-implant interface to be compatible with long-term survival. Some of the approaches to meet these demands are alumina-on-alumina and metal-on-metal designs, as well as the use of highly crosslinked polyethylene for the acetabular component. In order to avoid the wear-based deleterious properties of the conventional total hip prosthesis materials or coatings, the present work included biological and tribological testing of amorphous diamond. Previous experiments had demonstrated that a high adhesion of tetrahedral amorphous carbon coatings to a substrate can be achieved by using mixing layers or interlayers. Amorphous diamond was found to be biologically inert, and simulator testing indicated excellent wear properties for conventional total hip prostheses, in which either the ball or both bearing surfaces were coated with hydrogen-free tetrahedral amorphous diamond films. Simulator testing with such total hip prostheses

Using Cr3C2 and Fe-CrNiBSi powder blends as raw materials, an α-Fe matrix composite coating reinforced by in situ (Cr, Fe)7C3 rods, with a thickness of about 3.6 mm, was fabricated on the surface of AISI A36 low carbon steel by means of plasma-transferred arc welding. The results of microstructural analysis show that in the coating, a large number of carbides, (Cr, Fe)7C3, in rod shape grow, and radiate around some half-dissolved Cr3C2 particles. The results of dry sliding wear tests at loads 100, 200, and 300 N show that the wear resistances of (Cr, Fe)7C3-reinforced coating, respectively, are about 6.9, 14.9, and 17 times higher than that of nonreinforced pure Fe-CrNiBSi alloy coating; the average value and fluctuation range of friction coefficient (FC) of (Cr, Fe)7C3-reinforced coating are less than those of pure Fe-CrNiBSi alloy coating; the main wear mechanisms of pure Fe-CrNiBSi alloy coating are ploughing, deformation, and adhesive wear, whereas those of (Cr, Fe)7C3-reinforced coating are microcutting, abrasive, and oxidation wear; the cracks on surfaces of (Cr, Fe)7C3 rods increased with the increasing loads; and the matrix α-Fe can prevent them from extending further in the composite coating.

Carbon nitride thin films were obtained through plasma assisted physical vapor deposition technique by pulsed arc, varying the substrate temperature and investigating the influence of this parameter on the films hemocompatibility. For obtaining approaches of blood compatibility, environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) was used in order to study the platelets adherence and their morphology. Moreover, the elemental chemical composition was determined by using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), finding C, N and O. The coatings hemocompatibility was evaluated by in vitro thrombogenicity test, whose results were correlated with the microstructure and roughness of the films obtained. During the films growth process, the substrate temperature was varied, obtaining coatings under different temperatures, room temperature ( Troom), 100 °C, 150 °C and 200 °C. Parameters as interelectrodic distance, voltage, work pressure and number of discharges, were remained constant. By EDS, carbon and nitrogen were found in the films. Visible Raman spectroscopy was used, and it revealed an amorphous lattice, with graphitic process as the substrate temperature was increased. However, at a critical temperature of 150 °C, this tendency was broken, and the film became more amorphous. This film showed the lowest roughness, 2 ± 1 nm. This last characteristic favored the films hemocompatibility. Also, it was demonstrated that the blood compatibility of carbon nitride films obtained were affected by the ID/ IG or sp 3/sp 2 ratio and not by the absolute sp 3 or sp 2 concentration.

Co-P alloy coatings were electrodeposited with pulse current using gluconate bath and characterized by XRD, FESEM, AFM, DSC and XPS. Co-P alloy coatings are amorphous in nature as demonstrated by XRD. FESEM exhibits the “cauliflower type” morphology that is distinctive of nanocrystalline metals and alloys. Co-P alloys are found to follow instantaneous growth mechanism as revealed by AFM studies. Two exothermic peaks at 320 and 340 °C in DSC profiles of Co-P deposit correspond to the crystallization of the deposit. Detailed XPS studies of these alloy coatings have shown that as-deposited coatings consist of Co metal as well as oxidized Co species. P has mostly been present as bulk alloy on the surface as Pδ- form. Increase in the amounts of Co metal and Pδ- are observed upon intermittent sputtering. No appreciable increase in microhardness is observed with increase in the phosphorous content, but it increases with heat treatment significantly.

A Ni-Cr-Al coating was clad by a 5 kW CO2 laser with different laser power on Al-Si alloy. Using transmission electron microscopy, a mixing microstructure containing Ni- based amorphous structures was observed in the laser clad zones. As the uniformity of chemical composition and temperature is poor in the laser cladding, the amorphous structure with some Ni3Al crystals coexisted in the cladding. According to the morphologies of Ni-based amorphous structures, the amorphous structure existed not only in the net-like boundaries surrounding the granular structure but also in the granular structure. The microhardness of the mixture amorphous structure is between HV 600 - 800, which is lower than that of crystal phases in the coating. A differential thermal analysis showed that Ni- based amorphous structure exhibits a higher initial crystallizing temperature (about 588 degree(s)C), which is slightly higher than that of the eutectic temperature of Al- Si alloy. The wear experimental results showed that some amorphous structure exist in the laser cladding can reduce the peeling of the granular phases from matrix, and improve the its wear resistance.

Molecular dynamics simulations with Tersoff potentials were used to study the response of SiC nanowires with and without amorphouscoating to a tensile strain along the axial direction. The uncoated nanowires show brittle properties and fail through bond breaking. Although the amorphouscoating leads to the decrease of Young’s modulus of nanowires, yet it also leads the appearance of plastic deformation under axial strain. These results provide an effective way to modify the brittle properties of some other semiconductor nanowires.

This paper documents the use of four retarding field analyzers (RFAs) to measure electron cloud signals created in Fermilab’s Main Injector during 120 GeV operations. The first data set was taken from September 11, 2009 to July 4, 2010. This data set is used to compare two different types of beam pipe that were installed in the accelerator. Two RFAs were installed in a normal steel beam pipe like the rest of the Main Injector while another two were installed in a one meter section of beam pipe that was coated on the inside with titanium nitride (TiN). A second data run started on August 23, 2010 and ended on January 10, 2011 when Main Injector beam intensities were reduced thus eliminating the electron cloud. This second run uses the same RFA setup but the TiN coated beam pipe was replaced by a one meter section coated with amorphous carbon (aC). This section of beam pipe was provided by CERN in an effort to better understand how an aC coating will perform over time in an accelerator. The research consists of three basic parts: (a) continuously monitoring the conditioning of the three different types of beam pipe over both time and absorbed electrons (b) measurement of the characteristics of the surrounding magnetic fields in the Main Injector in order to better relate actual data observed in the Main Injector with that of simulations (c) measurement of the energy spectrum of the electron cloud signals using retarding field analyzers in all three types of beam pipe.

The development of low friction surfaces is needed to improve performance and energy efficiency for macroscopic and microscopic mechanical systems. Minimizing unwanted friction and wear can lead to dramatic economic and environmental benefits. Such research is an important approach to addressing the world's increasing energy concerns. Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (CHx) thin films are ideal for some tribological applications because of their low wear rates and low coefficients of friction. The primary goal of this research is to develop and characterize modified CHx coatings so that they can be used in a variety of applications in humid environments and under higher contact loads. Doping CHx films with a small amount of sulfur (CHx+S) enables them to achieve ultralow coefficients of friction in ambient humidity. Temperature-programmed desorption and quartz crystal microbalance were used to determine that sulfur reduces water adsorption onto the film surface. Sulfur-doped films showed a decrease in the activation energy for desorption of water, or weaker film-water bonding. This decrease causes a shorter residence time of water on the surface and less equilibrium water adsorption. At a given relative humidity, sulfur-doped films adsorbed less water than undoped films. Even at 90% relative humidity, sulfur-doped films adsorbed less than 1 monolayer of water. Sulfur acts to passivate dangling bonds at the film surface susceptible to oxidation and reduces the number of surface dipoles available to attract water. This enhanced hydrophobicity increases the contact angle of adsorbed water islands, which lowers the likelihood of coalescence into a water meniscus on the film surface. The decreased quantity and discontinuity of adsorbed water molecules are responsible for CHx+S being able to achieve lower friction in humid environments. Adding titanium diboride (TiB2) to the CHx coatings yielded films with improved mechanical properties. TiB2 and CH x were synthesized in

Using an adjusted explosive welding technique, an aluminum plate has been coated by a Fe-based metallic glass foil in this work. Scanning electronic micrographs reveal a defect-free metallurgical bonding between the Fe-based metallic glass foil and the aluminum plate. Experimental evidence indicates that the Fe-based metallic glass foil almost retains its amorphous state and mechanical properties after the explosive welding process. Additionally, the detailed explosive welding process has been simulated by a self-developed hydro-code and the bonding mechanism has been investigated by numerical analysis. The successful welding between the Fe-based metallic glass foil and the aluminum plate provides a new way to obtain amorphouscoating on general metal substrates.

In situ TiC-VC reinforced Fe-based cladding layer was obtained on low carbon steel surface by laser cladding with Fe-Ti-V-Cr-C-CeO2 alloy powder. The microstructure, phases and properties of the cladding layer were investigated by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), potentio-dynamic polarization and electro-chemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Results showed Fe-Ti-V-Cr-C-CeO2 alloy powder formed a good cladding layer without defects such as cracks and pores. The phases of the cladding layer were α-Fe, γ-Fe, TiC, VC and TiVC2. The microstructures of the cladding layer matrix were lath martensite and retained austenite. The carbides were polygonal blocks with a size of 0.5-2 μm and distributed uniformly in the cladding layer. High resolution transmission electron microscopy showed the carbide was a complex matter composed of nano TiC, VC and TiVC2. The cladding layer with a hardness of 1030 HV0.2 possessed good wear and corrosion resistance, which was about 16.85 and 9.06 times than that of the substrate respectively.

Multi-layer Zr65Al7.5Ni10Cu17.5 amorphouscoatings were produced by laser solid forming on A283 substrate. The coatings with few pores and free of cracks had good metallurgical bonding with the substrate. The microstructural characterization, phase composition, chemical component distribution and corrosion behavior of the coatings were investigated. The results revealed that the amorphization degree increased from the substrate to the coating surface mainly due to the dilution and stir influence from the melted substrate. In the five layers coating, the volume fraction of amorphous phase in the 5th layer, 3rd layer and 1st layer was about 77%, 64% and 49% respectively. With regard to corrosion property, potentiodynamic polarization plots, Nyquist plots and the equivalent circuits were employed in 3.5 wt% sodium chloride solution. Attributing to the presence of amorphous phase and passivation, the LSF coatings exhibit excellent corrosion resistance.

Phosphate coating hazardous wastes originated from the automotive industry were efficiently encapsulated by an acid-base reaction between phosphates present in the sludge and calcium aluminate cement, yielding very inert and stable monolithic blocks of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP). Two different compositions of industrial sludge were characterized and loaded in ratios ranging from 10 to 50 wt.%. Setting times and compressive strengths were recorded to establish the feasibility of this method to achieve a good handling and a safe landfilling of these samples. Short solidification periods were found and leaching tests showed an excellent retention for toxic metals (Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr and Mn) and for organic matter. Retentions over 99.9% for Zn and Mn were observed even for loadings as high as 50 wt.% of the wastes. The formation of ACP phase of low porosity and high stability accounted for the effective immobilization of the hazardous components of the wastes. PMID:26024992

Nanoelectromechanical (NEM) switches have the potential to complement or replace traditional CMOS transistors in the area of ultra-low-power digital electronics. This paper reports the demonstration of prototype circuits including the first 3-stage ring oscillator built using cell-level digital logic elements based on curved NEM switches. The ring oscillator core occupies an area of 30 μm × 10 μm using 6 NEM switches. Each NEM switch device has a footprint of 5 μm × 3 μm, an air gap of 60 μm and is coated with amorphous carbon (a-C) for reliable operation. The ring oscillator operates at a frequency of 6.7 MHz, and confirms the simulated inverter propagation delay of 25 ns. The successful fabrication and measurement of this demonstrator are key milestones on the way towards an optimized, scaled technology with sub-nanosecond switching times, lower operating voltages and VLSI implementation.

Scanning polarization force microscopy was used to study changes in surface potential (tribocharging) caused by the contact between a tungsten carbide tip and the amorphous carbon coating of a hard disk,both when bare and when covered with Zdol-TX lubricant. The surface potential change produced by tip contact decays with time at a rate that is strongly dependent on lubricant coverage, and on the presence of oxygen and water vapor in the environment. Two different charging mechanisms are proposed. One involves chemical modification of the surface by removal of oxygen bound to the surface. This gives rise to a potential change that decays with time. Another mechanism involves trapping of charge in states within the energy gap of the insulating carbon film. The potential change due to this trapped charge does not decay over periods much greater than 1 hour.

Amorphous metal and ceramic thermal spray coatings have been developed that can be used to enhance the corrosion resistance of containers for the transportation, aging and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive wastes. Iron-based amorphous metal formulations with chromium, molybdenum and tungsten have shown the corrosion resistance believed to be necessary for such applications. Rare earth additions enable very low critical cooling rates to be achieved. The boron content of these materials, and their stability at high neutron doses, enable them to serve as high efficiency neutron absorbers for criticality control. The high boron content of Fe{sub 49.7}Cr{sub 17.7}Mn{sub 1.9}Mo{sub 7.4}W{sub 1.6}B{sub 15.2}C{sub 3.8}Si{sub 2.4} (SAM2X5) makes it an effective neutron absorber, and suitable for criticality control applications. Average measured values of the neutron absorption cross section in transmission ({Sigma}{sub t}) for Type 316L stainless steel, Alloy C-22, borated stainless steel, a Ni-Cr-Mo-Gd alloy, and SAM2X5 have been determined to be approximately 1.1, 1.3, 2.3, 3.8 and 7.1 cm{sup -1}, respectively.

Molybdenum coatings are extensively utilized as back contact for CIGS-based solar cells. However, their electrodeposition from aqueous electrolyte still sophisticates, since long time, owing to the high reactivity with oxygen. In this study, we present a successful 30 min electrodeposition experiment of somewhat thick (∼0.98-2.9 μm) and of moderate surface roughness RMS (∼47-58 nm), metallic bright Mo coating from aqueous electrolyte containing molybdate ions. XRD analysis and Hall Effect measurements have been used to confirm the presence of Mo. The crystal structure of deposits was slightly amorphous in nature to body centred cubic structure (bcc) Mo (110), (211) and (220) face. Lattice parameters exhibit some weak fluctuated tensile stress when compared to the reference lattice parameter. Additionally, our calculated lattice parameters are in good agreement with some previous works from literature. Discussions on the grain growth prove that they are constrained by grain boundary energy not the thickness effect. Further discussions were made on the electrical resistivity and surface morphology. Resonance scattering of Fermi electrons are expected to contribute towards the variation in the film resistivity through the carrier mobility limitation. However, studied samples might be qualified as candidates for solar cell application.

Nanoparticles (NP) improve the performance of solid rocket motors with increased burning rate and lower ignition threshold owing to their larger surface area. We present spatio-temporal evolution of laser ablative shock waves (LASWs) from compacted amorphous Boron (B) and Lithium Fluoride coated Boron (LiF-B) of 70-110nm sizes that were compacted to form pellets. Thickness of the LiF coating is 5.5 +/- 1 nm in LiF-B. Laser pulses from second harmonic of Nd:YAG laser (532 nm, 7 ns) are used to generate LASWs expanding in ambient air. The precise time of energy release from the pellets under extreme ablative pressures is studied using shadowgraphy with a temporal resolution of 1.5 ns. Different nature of the shock front (SF) following Sedov-Taylor theory, before and after detachment, indicated two specific time dependent stages of energy release. From the position of SF, velocity behind the SF, similar to that of exhaust velocity is measured. Specific impulse of 241 +/- 5 and 201 +/- 4 sec for LiF-B and B, respectively, at a delay of 0.8 μs from shock inducing laser pulse makes them potential candidates for laser based micro thruster applications. The work is supported by Defence Research and Developement Organization, India through Grants-in-Aid Program.

The multi-institutional High Performance Corrosion Resistant Materials (HPCRM) Team is cosponsored by the Defense Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Science Office (DSO) and the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM), and has developed new corrosion-resistant, iron-based amorphous metals that can be applied as coatings with advanced thermal spray technology. Two compositions have corrosion resistance superior to wrought nickel-based Alloy C-22 (UNS No. N06022) in very aggressive environments, including concentrated calcium-chloride brines at elevated temperature. Corrosion costs the Department of Defense billions of dollars every year, with an immense quantity of material in various structures undergoing corrosion. For example, in addition to fluid and seawater piping, ballast tanks, and propulsions systems, approximately 345 million square feet of structure aboard naval ships and crafts require costly corrosion control measures. The use of advanced corrosion-resistant materials to prevent the continuous degradation of this massive surface area would be extremely beneficial. The Fe-based corrosion-resistant, amorphous-metal coatings under development may prove of importance for applications on ships. Such coatings could be used as an 'integral drip shield' on spent fuel containers, as well as protective coatings that could be applied over welds, thereby preventing exposure to environments that might cause stress corrosion cracking. In the future, such new high-performance iron-based materials could be substituted for more-expensive nickel-based alloys, thereby enabling a reduction in the $58-billion life cycle cost for the long-term storage of the Nation's spent nuclear fuel by tens of percent.

It is necessary for transparent conducting electrodes used in dye-sensitized or perovskite solar cells to have high thermal stability which is required when TiO2 is coated on the electrode. AZO films with their low-cost and good TCO properties are unfortunately unstable above 300 °C in air because of adsorbed oxygen. In this paper, the thermal stability of AZO films is enhanced by depositing an oxygen barrier on AZO films to block the oxygen. As the barrier material, SnO2 is used due to its high heat stability, electrical conductivity, and transmittance. Moreover, when the SnO2 is grown as amorphous phase, the protective effect become greater than the crystalline phase. The thermal stability of the amorphous-SnO2/AZO films varies depending on the thickness of the amorphous SnO2 layer. Because of the outstanding oxygen blocking properties of amorphous SnO2, its optimal thickness is very thin and it results in only a slight decrease in transmittance. The sheet resistance of the amorphous-SnO2/AZO film is 5.4 Ω sq-1 after heat treatment at 500 °C for 30 min in air and the average transmittance in the visible region is 83.4%. The results show that the amorphous-SnO2/AZO films have thermal stability with excellent electrical and optical properties. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Refractory metallic coatings of (W/0.6/ Re/0.4/)76B24 (WReB) have been deposited onto glass, quartz, and heat-treated AISI 52100 bearing steel substrates by dc magnetron sputtering. As-deposited WReB films are amorphous, as shown by their diffuse X-ray diffraction patterns; chemically homogeneous, according to secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis; and they exhibit a very high (approximately 1000 C) crystallization temperature. Adhesion strength of these coatings on heat-treated AISI 52100 steel is in excess of approximately 20,000 psi and they possess high microhardness (approximately 2400 HV50). Unlubricated wear resistance of such hard and adherent amorphous metallic coatings on AISI 52100 steel is studied using the pin-on-disc method under various loading conditions. Amorphous metallic WReB coatings, about 4 microns thick, exhibit an improvement of more than two and a half orders of magnitude in the unlubricated wear resistance over that of the uncoated AISI 52100 steel.

Amorphous GeOx-coated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) balls with sandwich structure are prepared via a spray-pyrolysis process using polystyrene (PS) nanobeads as sacrificial templates. This sandwich structure is formed by uniformly coating the exterior and interior of few-layer rGO with amorphous GeOx layers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis reveals a Ge:O stoichiometry ratio of 1:1.7. The amorphous GeOx-coated rGO balls with sandwich structure have low charge-transfer resistance and fast Li(+)-ion diffusion rate. For example, at a current density of 2 A g(-1), the GeOx-coated rGO balls with sandwich and filled structures and the commercial GeO2 powders exhibit initial charge capacities of 795, 651, and 634 mA h g(-1), respectively; the corresponding 700th-cycle charge capacities are 758, 579, and 361 mA h g(-1). In addition, at a current density of 5 A g(-1), the rGO balls with sandwich structure have a 1600th-cycle reversible charge capacity of 629 mA h g(-1) and a corresponding capacity retention of 90.7%, as measured from the maximum reversible capacity at the 100th cycle. PMID:26047208

A 3 nm coronene coating and a 4 nm amorphous carbon coating with a uniform shell-core encapsulation structure for nanosized boron (B) powders are formed by a simple process in which coronene is directly mixed with boron particles without a solvent and heated at 520 °C for 1 h or at 630 °C for 3 h in a vacuum-sealed silica tube. Coronene has a melting point lower than its decomposition temperature, which enables liquid coronene to cover B particles by liquid diffusion and penetration without the need for a solvent. The diffusion and penetration of coronene can extend to the boundaries of particles and to inside the agglomerated nanoparticles to form a complete shell-core encapsulated structure. As the temperature is increased, thermal decomposition of coronene on the B particles results in the formation of a uniform amorphous carbon coating layer. This novel and simple nanometer-level uniform amorphous carbon coating method can possibly be applied to many other powders; thus, it has potential applications in many fields at low cost. PMID:25556855

Recently cerium compounds have been used in a variety of consumer products, including diesel fuel additives, to increase fuel combustion efficiency and decrease diesel soot emissions. However, cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles have been detected in the exhaust, which raises a health concern. Previous studies have shown that exposure of rats to nanoscale CeO2 by intratracheal instillation (IT) induces sustained pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. In the present study, male Sprague–Dawley rats were exposed to CeO2 or CeO2 coated with a nano layer of amorphous SiO2 (aSiO2/CeO2) by a single IT and sacrificed at various times post-exposure to assess potential protective effects of the aSiO2 coating. The first acellular bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and BAL cells were collected and analyzed from all exposed animals. At the low dose (0.15 mg/kg), CeO2 but not aSiO2/CeO2 exposure induced inflammation. However, at the higher doses, both particles induced a dose-related inflammation, cytotoxicity, inflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, and tissue inhibitor of MMP at 1 day post-exposure. Morphological analysis of lung showed an increased inflammation, surfactant and collagen fibers after CeO2 (high dose at 3.5 mg/kg) treatment at 28 days post-exposure. aSiO2 coating significantly reduced CeO2-induced inflammatory responses in the airspace and appeared to attenuate phospholipidosis and fibrosis. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis showed Ce and phosphorous (P) in all particle-exposed lungs, whereas Si was only detected in aSiO2/CeO2-exposed lungs up to 3 days after exposure, suggesting that aSiO2 dissolved off the CeO2 core, and some of the CeO2 was transformed to CePO4 with time. These results demonstrate that aSiO2 coating reduce CeO2-induced inflammation, phospholipidosis and fibrosis. PMID:26210349

Recently cerium compounds have been used in a variety of consumer products, including diesel fuel additives, to increase fuel combustion efficiency and decrease diesel soot emissions. However, cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles have been detected in the exhaust, which raises a health concern. Previous studies have shown that exposure of rats to nanoscale CeO2 by intratracheal instillation (IT) induces sustained pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. In the present study, male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to CeO2 or CeO2 coated with a nano layer of amorphous SiO2 (aSiO2/CeO2) by a single IT and sacrificed at various times post-exposure to assess potential protective effects of the aSiO2 coating. The first acellular bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and BAL cells were collected and analyzed from all exposed animals. At the low dose (0.15mg/kg), CeO2 but not aSiO2/CeO2 exposure induced inflammation. However, at the higher doses, both particles induced a dose-related inflammation, cytotoxicity, inflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, and tissue inhibitor of MMP at 1day post-exposure. Morphological analysis of lung showed an increased inflammation, surfactant and collagen fibers after CeO2 (high dose at 3.5mg/kg) treatment at 28days post-exposure. aSiO2 coating significantly reduced CeO2-induced inflammatory responses in the airspace and appeared to attenuate phospholipidosis and fibrosis. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis showed Ce and phosphorous (P) in all particle-exposed lungs, whereas Si was only detected in aSiO2/CeO2-exposed lungs up to 3days after exposure, suggesting that aSiO2 dissolved off the CeO2 core, and some of the CeO2 was transformed to CePO4 with time. These results demonstrate that aSiO2 coating reduce CeO2-induced inflammation, phospholipidosis and fibrosis. PMID:26210349

Variable index optical single-layers, optical multilayer, and laser-resistant coatings were made from a perfluorinated amorphous polymer material by physical vapor deposition. This was accomplished by physically vapor depositing a polymer material, such as bulk Teflon AF2400, for example, to form thin layers that have a very low refractive index (ca. 1.10--1.31) and are highly transparent from the ultra-violet through the near infrared regime, and maintain the low refractive index of the bulk material. The refractive index can be varied by simply varying one process parameter, either the deposition rate or the substrate temperature. The thus forming coatings may be utilized in anti-reflectors and graded anti-reflection coatings, as well as in optical layers for laser-resistant coatings at optical wavelengths of less than about 2000 nm. 2 figs.

Variable index optical single-layers, optical multilayer, and laser-resistant coatings were made from a perfluorinated amorphous polymer material by physical vapor deposition. This was accomplished by physically vapor depositing a polymer material, such as bulk Teflon AF2400, for example, to form thin layers that have a very low refractive index (.about.1.10-1.31) and are highly transparent from the ultra-violet through the near infrared regime, and maintain the low refractive index of the bulk material. The refractive index can be varied by simply varying one process parameter, either the deposition rate or the substrate temperature. The thus forming coatings may be utilized in anti-reflectors and graded anti-reflection coatings, as well as in optical layers for laser-resistant coatings at optical wavelengths of less than about 2000 nm.

The service life and the reliability of contact mechanical seal are directly affected by the wear of seal pairs (rotor vs. stator), especially under the cryogenic environment in liquid rocket engine turbopumps. Because of the lower friction and wear rate, amorphous carbon (a-C) coatings are the promising protective coatings of the seal pairs for contact mechanical seal. In this paper, a-C coatings were deposited on 9Cr18 by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering. The tribological performances of the specimen were tested under three sealed fluid conditions (air, water and liquid nitrogen). The results show that the coatings could endure the cryogenic temperature while the friction coefficients decrease with the increased contact load. Under the same contact condition, the friction coefficient of the a-C coatings in liquid nitrogen is higher than that in water and that they are in air. The friction coefficients of the a-C coatings in liquid nitrogen range from 0.10 to 0.15. In the cryogenic environment, the coatings remain their low specific wear rates (0.9 × 10-6 to 1.8 × 10-6 mm3 N-1 m-1). The results provide an important reference for designing a water lubricated bearing or a contact mechanical seal under the cryogenic environment that is both reliable and has longevity.

NiCrBSi self-fluxing alloy coatings were deposited by high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spraying. Annealing treatment was applied to the as-sprayed coatings to develop the microstructure of the Ni-based coating. The microstructure of the coating was characterized using optical microscopy, x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The crystallization behavior of the amorphouscoating was also characterized by differential scanning calorimetry. The properties of the coating were characterized by microhardness and abrasive wear tests. The results showed that the as-sprayed HVOF coating deposited by well melted spray particles exhibited a dense microstructure of amorphous phase. It was revealed that the crystallization of the amorphous phase in HVOF NiCrBSi coating occurs at a temperature of about 502°C. Annealing at temperature a little higher than recrystallization temperature leads to the formation of the nano-crystalline microstructure. The subsequent nanostructured Ni-based coating presents higher microhardness and excellent wear performance. With the further increase in annealing temperature, the growth of the nano-crystalline grains occurs and, accordingly, the microhardness of the coating and the wear performance decrease. Thereafter, the microstructure and properties of the Ni-based self-fluxing alloy coating can be controlled through postannealing treatment.

To remanufacture damaged hard chromium plating devices, Ni-Co-P alloy brush coating is developed by electro brush plating technique. Surface morphology, element composition and phase structure are separately investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Spectrometer and X-ray Diffraction. The results show that Ni-Co-P alloy coating gets typical 'packet shape' morphology and amorphous phase structure, with 9.9wt% P element. The corrosion resistance of Ni-Co-P alloy coating is also studied by electrochemical experiments and immersion tests. The results show that its corrosion resistance is superior to that of hard chromium plating, can be applied to the remanufacture of damaged hard chromium plating equipment.

Despite the emerging use of diamond-like carbon (DLC) as a coating for medical devices, few studies have examined the resistance of DLC coatings onto medical polymers to both microbial adherence and encrustation. In this study, amorphous DLC of a range of refractive indexes (1.7-1.9) and thicknesses (100-600 nm) was deposited onto polyurethane, a model polymer, and the resistance to microbial adherence (Escherichia coli; clinical isolate) and encrustation examined using in vitro models. In comparison to the native polymer, the advancing and receding contact angles of DLC-coated polyurethane were lower, indicating greater hydrophilic properties. No relationship was observed between refractive index, thickness, and advancing contact angle, as determined using multiple correlation analysis. The resistances of the various DLC-coated polyurethane films to encrustation and microbial adherence were significantly greater than that to polyurethane; however, there were individual differences between the resistances of the various DLC coatings. In general, increasing the refractive index of the coatings (100 nm thickness) decreased the resistance of the films to both hydroxyapatite and struvite encrustation and to microbial adherence. Films of lower thicknesses (100 and 200 nm; of defined refractive index, 1.8), exhibited the greatest resistance to encrustation and to microbial adherence. In conclusion, this study has uniquely illustrated both the microbial antiadherence properties and resistance to urinary encrustation of DLC-coated polyurethane. The resistances to encrustation and microbial adherence were substantial, and in light of this, it is suggested that DLC coatings of low thickness and refractive index show particular promise as coatings of polymeric medical devices. PMID:16615067

The chemical bonding nature and its evolution upon electrochemical cycling in amorphous Si coated-carbon nanotube (Si-CNT) anode has been investigated using comprehensive X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES) at Si L- and K-edges along with C and O K-edges. The Si nanolayer on CNT is found to be anchored to CNT via Si-O-C bonding. This bond weakens upon electrochemical cycling accompanied with generation of Li2CO3 on the surface of Si-CNT. Those findings are crucial in designing further improved Si-C composite anode for lithium ion battery.

This report describes the analysis and modeling approaches used in the evaluation for criticality-control applications of the neutron-absorbing structural-amorphous metal (SAM) coatings. The applications of boron-containing high-performance corrosion-resistant material (HPCRM)--amorphous metal as the neutron-absorbing coatings to the metallic support structure can enhance criticality safety controls for spent nuclear fuel in baskets inside storage containers, transportation casks, and disposal containers. The use of these advanced iron-based, corrosion-resistant materials to prevent nuclear criticality in transportation, aging, and disposal containers would be extremely beneficial to the nuclear waste management programs.

A broad interest has been showed recently on the study of nanostructuring of thin films and surfaces obtained by low-energy He plasma treatments and He incorporation via magnetron sputtering. In this paper spatially resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope is used to locate and characterize the He state in nanoporous amorphous silicon coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering. A dedicated MATLAB program was developed to quantify the helium density inside individual pores based on the energy position shift or peak intensity of the He K-edge. A good agreement was observed between the high density (∼35-60 at nm(-3)) and pressure (0.3-1.0 GPa) values obtained in nanoscale analysis and the values derived from macroscopic measurements (the composition obtained by proton backscattering spectroscopy coupled to the macroscopic porosity estimated from ellipsometry). This work provides new insights into these novel porous coatings, providing evidence of high-density He located inside the pores and validating the methodology applied here to characterize the formation of pores filled with the helium process gas during deposition. A similar stabilization of condensed He bubbles has been previously demonstrated by high-energy He ion implantation in metals and is newly demonstrated here using a widely employed methodology, magnetron sputtering, for achieving coatings with a high density of homogeneously distributed pores and He storage capacities as high as 21 at%. PMID:25627862

Single walled carbon nanotube networks (SWCNTNs) were coated by tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) to improve the mechanical wear properties of the composite film. The ta-C deposition was performed by using pulsed filtered cathodic vacuum arc method resulting in the generation of C+ ions in the energy range of 40-60 eV which coalesce to form a ta-C film. The primary disadvantage of this process is a significant increase in the electrical resistance of the SWCNTN post coating. The increase in the SWCNTN resistance is attributed primarily to the intrinsic stress of the ta-C coating which affects the inter-bundle junction resistance between the SWCNTN bundles. E-beam evaporated carbon was deposited on the SWCNTNs prior to the ta-C deposition in order to protect the SWCNTN from the intrinsic stress of the ta-C film. The causes of changes in electrical resistance and the effect of evaporated carbon thickness on the changes in electrical resistance and mechanical wear properties have been studied.

Fluid bed coating has been proposed in the past as an alternative technology for manufacturing of drug-polymer amorphous solid dispersions, or so-called glass solutions. It has the advantage of being a one-step process, and thus omitting separate drying steps, addition of excipients, or manipulation of the dosage form. In search of an adequate sample preparation method for modulated differential scanning calorimetry analysis of beads coated with glass solutions, glass transition broadening and decrease of the glass transition temperature (Tg ) were observed with increasing particle size of crushed coated beads and crushed isolated films of indomethacin (INDO) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Substituting INDO with naproxen gave comparable results. When ketoconazole was probed or the solvent in INDO-PVP films was switched to dichloromethane (DCM) or a methanol-DCM mixture, two distinct Tg regions were observed. Small particle sizes had a glass transition in the high Tg region, and large particle sizes had a glass transition in the low Tg region. This particle size-dependent glass transition was ascribed to different residual solvent amounts in the bulk and at the surface of the particles. A correlation was observed between the deviation of the Tg from that calculated from the Gordon-Taylor equation and the amount of residual solvent at the Tg of particles with different sizes. PMID:25702912

this research has shown that it is possible to deposit coatings of gas atomized Cu{sub 47}Ti{sub 33}Zr{sub 11}Ni{sub 8}Si{sub 1} powders containing various levels of oxygen contamination using plasma arc spray methods. The structure of the coating was found to depend primarily on the spray environment, with an argon atmosphere producing the most amorphous samples for a given starting powder. The oxygen content of the coatings reflected the relative levels of the oxygen contamination in the starting powders. The analysis of the starting powders displayed oxygen contents ranging from 0.125-0.79 wt.%. It was shown that higher oxygen levels lead to more crystalline structure in the starting powders as determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). This trend was found to be true for both the starting powders and for the plasma sprayed coatings. Chemical composition for all starting powders was very close to the nominal alloy composition. Chemical changes in the coatings involved the loss of Cu in coatings where high levels of oxidation were found. Cavitation erosion testing of selected coatings showed a weak trend that coatings prepared by vacuum plasma spray (VPS) had lower damage rates, but there was no clear data to indicate which coating parameters were superior. The range of data produced from testing duplicate coating was too wide to provide a good statistical measure of cavitation erosion resistance. of interest was the fact that when coatings began to show damage from cracking, all samples of a group showed similar damage and usually the damage pattern was somewhat unique to that group of samples. Failure of the coatings was due to features inherent to plasma arc spray (PAS) coating (i.e., pores, splat boundaries, oxide inclusions) rather than the mechanical characteristics of the amorphous alloy.

Nanocomposite of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) incorporated with titanium dioxide-modified reduced graphene oxide sheets (rGO-TiO2/PVDF-HFP) was prepared by in situ assembling TiO2 on graphene oxide (GO), and its dielectric properties were carefully characterized. The GO layers were completely coated with amorphous TiO2. The dielectric permittivity increased stably as rGO-TiO2 content increased, and the loss was low at low frequencies. TiO2 inter-layer acted as an inter-particle barrier to prevent direct contact of rGO, which provided a new simple way for tuning the dielectric properties of polymer composites with low dielectric loss by controlling the structure of fillers.

A reduction of WC-Co corrosion was investigated using a potentiodynamic electrochemical test. SiC layers with different thicknesses from 1 to 5 µm were coated on WC-Co by using an ionbeam mixing process. I-V characterization measurements were performed on the SiC-coated WCCo at different conditions: NaOH and H2SO4 solutions and room temperature and 70 °C. The I-V measurements demonstrated that the corrosion current density decreased and the corrosion potential increased as the SiC coating layers got thicker. This finding is evidence that SiC coating layers contact well electrically to WC-Co surfaces and enhance the corrosion properties of WC-Co.

In the present work, the process parameter dependent optical and structural properties of MgO-Al(2)O(3)-ZrO(2) ternary mixed-composite material have been investigated. Optical properties were derived from spectrophotometric measurements. The surface morphology, grain size distributions, crystallographic phases and process dependent material composition of films have been investigated through the use of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction analysis and Energy Dispersive X- ray (EDX) analysis. EDX analysis made evident the correlation between the optical constants and the process dependent compositions in the films. It is possible to achieve environmentally stable amorphous films with high packing density under certain optimized process conditions.

We present the results of mechanical characterizations of many different high-quality optical coatings made of ion-beam-sputtered titania-doped tantala and silica, developed originally for interferometric gravitational-wave detectors. Our data show that in multilayer stacks (like high-reflection Bragg mirrors, for example) the measured coating dissipation is systematically higher than the expectation and is correlated with the stress condition in the sample. This has a particular relevance for the noise budget of current advanced gravitational-wave interferometers, and, more generally, for any experiment involving thermal-noise-limited optical cavities.

The amorphous phase/TiO2 nanocrystals (APTN) composited coatings were prepared on Ti implants for biomedical applications. The Ti implants without and with the APTN composited coatings both do not cause any adverse effects after implantation into the rabbit tibia. The osseointegration of Ti implants after covering the APTN coatings is improved pronouncedly, greatly increasing the interface bonding strength between the implants and newly formed bones. In addition, it is interesting that the newly formed bone tissues appear in the micro-pores of the APTN coatings, promoting the interface bonding between the implants and new bones by the mechanical interlock. Moreover, the Ti implant with the APTN coatings formed at higher applied voltage exhibit higher shear strength and displacement during the pushing out experiment probably due to its better osseointegration. PMID:24481533

We studied the correlation between magnetic softness and magnetostriction coefficient for as-prepared and annealed Co-Fe-rich microwires. We found that the hysteresis loops and magnetostriction coefficients of Co and Fe-rich microwires depend not only on the chemical composition of the metal but also on internal stress. Consequently, both hysteresis loop and magnetostriction coefficient can be adjusted by annealing. We varied the time and temperature of annealing and observed changes of the character of the hysteresis loops. These changes correlated with evolution of the magnetostriction coefficient. Drastic changes of the hysteresis loop for Co-rich microwires were attributed to changes of the sign and value of the magnetostriction coefficient.

Stainless steel films were reactively magnetron sputtered in argon/methane gas flow onto oxidized silicon wafers using austenitic stainless-steel targets. The deposited films of about 200 nm thickness were characterized by conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy, magneto-optical Kerr-effect, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, atomic force microscopy, corrosion resistance tests, and Raman spectroscopy. These complementary methods were used for a detailed examination of the carburization effects in the sputtered stainless-steel films. The formation of an amorphous and soft ferromagnetic phase in a wide range of the processing parameters was found. Further, the influence of the substrate temperature and of post vacuum-annealing were examined to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the carburization process and phase formation.

Concerns over climate change resulting from accumulation of anthropogenic carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the uncertainty in the amount of recoverable fossil fuel reserves are driving forces for the development of renewable, carbon-neutral energy technologies. A promising clean solution is photoelectrochemical water splitting to produce hydrogen using abundant solar energy. Here we present a simple and scalable technique for the deposition of amorphous molybdenum sulphide films as hydrogen evolution catalyst onto protected copper(I) oxide films. The efficient extraction of excited electrons by the conformal catalyst film leads to photocurrents of up to -5.7 mA cm(-2) at 0 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (pH 1.0) under simulated AM 1.5 solar illumination. Furthermore, the photocathode exhibits enhanced stability under acidic environments, whereas photocathodes with platinum nanoparticles as catalyst deactivate more rapidly under identical conditions. The work demonstrates the potential of earth-abundant light-harvesting material and catalysts for solar hydrogen production. PMID:24402352

Amorphous MoSx thin-film-coated carbon fiber paper as a binder-free 3D electrode was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. The maximum specific capacitance of a single electrode was 83.9 mF cm-2, while it was 41.9 mF cm-2 for the symmetric device. Up to 600% capacitance retention was observed for 4750 cycles.Amorphous MoSx thin-film-coated carbon fiber paper as a binder-free 3D electrode was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. The maximum specific capacitance of a single electrode was 83.9 mF cm-2, while it was 41.9 mF cm-2 for the symmetric device. Up to 600% capacitance retention was observed for 4750 cycles. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/C6NR01200K

Hybrid bearings comprising ceramic balls and steel rings exhibit increased wear-resistance and a reduced coefficient of friction (COF) compared with standard steel bearings. Using plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) coatings to modify the surface properties, the performance of these bearings can be further improved. Fluorine-containing amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C : F : H) films are well suited to this purpose. To study the influence of such coatings on the friction characteristics of key parts of hybrid bearings, a model of an a-C : F : H film was constructed and employed in molecular dynamics simulations of two slabs sliding past each other, lubricated by water. With one slab being pulled by a virtual spring, the perpendicular force (load) was kept constant using a barostat. For comparison, a system of two silicon dioxide (cristobalite) slabs and a mixed system consisting of a cristobalite slab and an a-C : F : H slab were investigated. Our results indicate a linear dependence of the friction force on the perpendicular force. With an increasing amount of water between the slabs, the COFs decrease. A decrease in temperature leads to an increased COF, while a decrease in the relative velocity of the slabs does not influence the COF between two a-C : F : H slabs, but reduces the COF for the other two systems. Our results for the COF and its dependence on temperature and relative sliding velocity generally agree well both with experiments and with simulations for similar systems reported in the literature.

Amorphous MoSx thin-film-coated carbon fiber paper as a binder-free 3D electrode was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. The maximum specific capacitance of a single electrode was 83.9 mF cm(-2), while it was 41.9 mF cm(-2) for the symmetric device. Up to 600% capacitance retention was observed for 4750 cycles. PMID:27240819

The amorphous carbon coating on the Sn-Sb particles was prepared from aqueous glucose solutions using a hydrothermal method. Because the outer layer carbon of composite materials is loose cotton-like and porous-like, it can accommodate the expansion and contraction of active materials to maintain the stability of the structure, and hinder effectively the aggregation of nano-sized alloy particles. The as-prepared composite materials show much improved electrochemical performances as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries compared with Sn-Sb alloy and carbon alone. This amorphous carbon-coated Sn-Sb particle is extremely promising anode materials for lithium secondary batteries and has a high potentiality in the future use. - Graphical abstract: The amorphous carbon coating on the Sn-Sb particles was prepared from aqueous glucose solutions using a hydrothermal method. Because the outer layer carbon of composite materials is loose cotton-like and porous-like, it can accommodate the expansion and contraction of active materials to maintain the stability of the structure, and hinder effectively the aggregation of nano-sized alloy particles.

The optical reflective properties of silicon oxide (SixOy) thin films with gradient refractive index are studied both theoretically and experimentally. The thin films are widely used in photovoltaic as antireflective coatings (ARCs). An effective finite difference time domain (FDTD) model is built to find the optimized reflection spectra corresponding to structure of SixOy ARCs with gradient refractive index. Based on the simulation analysis, it shows the variation of reflection spectra with gradient refractive index distribution. The gradient refractive index of SixOy ARCs can be obtained in adjustment of SiH4 to N2O ratio by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system. The optimized reflection spectra measured by UV-visible spectroscopy confirms to agree well with that simulated by FDTD method.

New corrosion-resistant, iron-based amorphous metals have been identified from published data or developed through combinatorial synthesis, and tested to determine their relative corrosion resistance. Many of these materials can be applied as coatings with advanced thermal spray technology. Two compositions have corrosion resistance superior to wrought nickel-based Alloy C-22 (UNS No. N06022) in some very aggressive environments, including concentrated calcium-chloride brines at elevated temperature. Two Fe-basedamorphous metal formulations have been found that appear to have corrosion resistance comparable to, or better than that of Ni-based Alloy C-22, based on breakdown potential and corrosion rate. Both Cr and Mo provide corrosion resistance, B enables glass formation, and Y lowers critical cooling rate (CCR). SAM1651 has yttrium added, and has a nominal critical cooling rate of only 80 Kelvin per second, while SAM2X7 (similar to SAM2X5) has no yttrium, and a relatively high critical cooling rate of 610 Kelvin per second. Both amorphous metal formulations have strengths and weaknesses. SAM1651 (yttrium added) has a low critical cooling rate (CCR), which enables it to be rendered as a completely amorphous thermal spray coating. Unfortunately, it is relatively difficult to atomize, with powders being irregular in shape. This causes the powder to be difficult to pneumatically convey during thermal spray deposition. Gas atomized SAM1651 powder has required cryogenic milling to eliminate irregularities that make flow difficult. SAM2X5 (no yttrium) has a high critical cooling rate, which has caused problems associated with devitrification. SAM2X5 can be gas atomized to produce spherical powders of SAM2X5, which enable more facile thermal spray deposition. The reference material, nickel-based Alloy C-22, is an outstanding corrosion-resistant engineering material. Even so, crevice corrosion has been observed with C-22 in hot sodium chloride environments without buffer

In the present study, unique structural heterogeneity was observed in ion-vapor deposited a-C:H coatings by performing {sup 13}C MAS and {sup 1}H-{sup 13}C CPMAS experiments on solid state nuclear magnetic resonance devices. Two distinct types of sp{sup 2} C clusters were discovered: one of them denoted as sp{sup 2} C′ in content of 3–12 at. % was non-protonated specifically localized in hydrogen-absent regions, while the other dominant one denoted as sp{sup 2} C″ was hydrogenated or at least proximate to proton spins. On basis of the notably analogous variation of sp{sup 2} C′ content and Raman parameters as function of substrate bias voltage in the whole range of 0.5 kV–3.5 kV, a model of nano-clustering configuration was proposed that the sp{sup 2} C′ clusters were embedded between sp{sup 2} C″ clusters and amorphous sp{sup 3} C matrix as trapped interfaces or boundaries where the sp{sup 2} carbon bonds were highly distorted. Continuous increase of bias voltage would promote the nano-clustering and re-ordering of dominant sp{sup 2} C″ clusters, thus results in a marked decrease of interspace and a change of the content of sp{sup 2} C′ clusters. Further investigation on the {sup 13}C magnetization recovery showed typical stretched-exponential approximation due to the prominent presence of paramagnetic centers, and the stretched power α varied within 0.6–0.9 from distinct types of sp{sup 2} C clusters. Differently, the magnetization recovery of {sup 1}H showed better bi-exponential approximation with long and short T{sub 1}(H) fluctuated within 40–60 ms and 0.1–0.3 ms approximately in content of 80% ± 5% and 20% ± 5%, respectively, varying with various bias voltages. Meanwhile, the interrupted {sup 13}C saturation recovery with an interval of short T{sub 1}(H) showed that most of quick-relaxing protons were localized in sp{sup 2} C″ clusters. Such a short T{sub 1}(H) was only possibly resulted from a relaxation mechanism

Amorphous diamond films having a significant reduction in intrinsic stress are prepared by biasing a substrate to be coated and depositing carbon ions thereon under controlled temperature conditions. 1 fig.

The infrastructure for transportation in the United States allows for a high level of mobility and freight activity for the current population of 300 million residents, and several million business establishments. According to a Department of Transportation study, more than 230 million motor vehicles, ships, airplanes, and railroads cars were used on 6.4 million kilometers (4 million miles) of highways, railroads, airports, and waterways in 1998. Pipelines and storage tanks were considered to be part of this deteriorating infrastructure. The annual direct cost of corrosion in the infrastructure category was estimated to be approximately $22.6 billion in 1998. There were 583,000 bridges in the United States in 1998. Of this total, 200,000 bridges were steel, 235,000 were conventional reinforced concrete, 108,000 bridges were constructed using pre-stressed concrete, and the balance was made using other materials of construction. Approximately 15 percent of the bridges accounted for at this point in time were structurally deficient, primarily due to corrosion of steel and steel reinforcement. Iron-based amorphous metals, including SAM2X5 (Fe{sub 49.7}Cr{sub 17.7}Mn{sub 1.9}Mo{sub 7.4}W{sub 1.6}B{sub 15.2}C{sub 3.8}Si{sub 2.4}) and SAM1651 (Fe{sub 48}Mo{sub 14}Cr{sub 15}Y{sub 2}C{sub 15}B{sub 6}) have been developed, and have very good corrosion resistance. These materials have been prepared as a melt-spun ribbons, as well as gas atomized powders and thermal-spray coatings. During electrochemical testing in several environments, including seawater at 90 C, the passive film stabilities of these materials were found to be comparable to that of more expensive high-performance alloys, based on electrochemical measurements of the passive film breakdown potential and general corrosion rates. These materials also performed very well in standard salt fog tests. Chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo) and tungsten (W) provided corrosion resistance, and boron (B) enabled glass formation

A three-dimensional (3D) carbonaceous aerogel derived from biomass bacterial cellulose (BC) is introduced as a flexible framework for iron oxides in Li-ion batteries (LIBs). The 3D carbonized BC (CBC) with highly interconnected nanofibrous structure exhibits good electrical conductivity and mechanical stability. The amorphous Fe2O3 is tightly coated on the nanofibers of CBC through a simple in situ thermal decomposition method. The obtained amorphous Fe2O3 anode (denoted as A-Fe2O3@CBC) exhibits stable cycling performance and high rate capability when assembled into a half-cell, which is supposed to benefit from the well-dispersed Fe2O3 nanoshells and the hierarchical pores in A-Fe2O3@CBC composite. The rational design of the nanostructure could improve the transportation of electrons/ions and effectively alleviate volume changes of Fe2O3 during the electrochemical cycling. Meanwhile, the amorphous nature of the Fe2O3 in anode provides an enhanced capacitive-like lithium storage and flexible structure of the active materials, resulting in much higher specific capacity and longer cycle life when compared with its crystalline counterpart. This work provides a promising approach to design and construct the flexible metal oxide anode materials based on 3D carbonaceous aerogel for high-performance LIBs.

Neutron-absorbing Fe-basedamorphous-metal coatings have been developed that are more corrosion resistant than other criticality-control materials, including Al-B{sub 4}C composites, borated stainless steels, and Ni-Cr-Mo-Gd alloys. The presence of relatively high concentration of boron in these coatings not only enhances its neutron-absorption capability, but also enables these coatings to exist in the amorphous state. Exceptional corrosion resistance has been achieved with these Fe-basedamorphous-metal alloys through additions of chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten. The addition of rare earth elements such as yttrium has lowered the critical cooling rate of these materials, thereby rendering them more easily processed. Containers used for the storage of nuclear materials, and protected from corrosion through the application of amorphous metal coatings, would have greatly enhanced service lives, and would therefore provide greater long-term safety. Amorphous alloy powders have been successfully produced in multi-ton quantities with gas atomization, and applied to several half-scale spent fuel storage containers and criticality control structures with the high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) thermal spray process. Salt fog testing and neutron radiography of these prototypes indicates that such an approach is viable for the production of large-scale industrial-scale facilities and containers. The use of these durable neutron-absorbing materials to coat stainless steel containers and storage racks, as well as vaults, hot-cell facilities and glove boxes could substantially reduce the risk of criticality in the event of an accident. These materials are particularly attractive for shielding applications since they are fire proof. Additionally, layers of other cold and thermal sprayed materials that include carbon and/or carbides can be used in conjunction with the high-boron amorphous metal coatings for the purpose of moderation. For example, various carbides, including boron

Amorphous metal alloys of the iron-chromium and nickel-chromium type have excellent corrosion resistance and high temperature stability and are suitable for use as a protective coating on less corrosion resistant substrates. The alloys are stabilized in the amorphous state by one or more elements of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, and tungsten. The alloy is preferably prepared by sputter deposition.

Spent nuclear fuel contains fissionable materials ({sup 235}U, {sup 239}Pu, {sup 241}Pu, etc.). To prevent nuclear criticality in spent fuel storage, transportation, and during disposal, neutron-absorbing materials (or neutron poisons, such as borated stainless steel, Boral{sup TM}, Metamic{sup TM}, Ni-Gd, and others) would have to be applied. The success in demonstrating that the High-Performance Corrosion- Resistant Material (HPCRM){sup [1]} can be thermally applied as coating onto base metal to provide for corrosion resistance for many naval applications raises the interest in applying the HPCRM to USDOE/OCRWM spent fuel management program. The fact that the HPCRM relies on the high content of boron to make the material amorphous - an essential property for corrosion resistance - and that the boron has to be homogeneously distributed in the HPCRM qualify the material to be a neutron poison. (authors)

The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of novel colloidal silica spheres coated with crystalline or amorphous zirconia (SiO2@ZrO2(cryst) or SiO2@ZrO2(am)) have been studied in a human osteosarcoma cell line (MG-63), after 24 h exposure. SiO2@ZrO2(cryst) and SiO2@ZrO2(am) had mean diameters of 782±19 and 891±34 nm, respectively. SiO2@ZrO2(cryst) exposure reduced cell viability, with an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a decrease of the GSH/GSSG ratio. The comet and micronucleus (MN) assays detected DNA damage at 5 and 25 μg/mL, respectively. SiO2@ZrO2(am) induced genotoxic action only at 10 and 50 μg/mL (comet and MN assays), along with a decrease of the GSH/GSSG ratio at 50 μg/mL. Both particles were found inside the cells, forming vesicles; however, none of them entered the nucleus. Our findings show that crystallization of the shell of the amorphous ZrO2 increases both cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. PMID:25344169

In coated conductors, surface roughness of metallic substrates and buffer layers could significantly affect the texture of subsequently deposited buffer layers and the critical current density of superconductor layer. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is usually utilized to measure surface roughness. However, the roughness values are actually relevant to scan scale. Fractal geometry could be exerted to analyze the scaling performance of surface roughness. In this study, four samples were prepared, which were electro polished Hastelloy C276 substrate, mechanically polished Hastelloy C276 substrate and the amorphous alumina buffer layers deposited on both the substrates by ion beam deposition. The surface roughness, described by root mean squared (RMS) and arithmetic average (Ra) values, was analyzed considering the scan scale of AFM measurements. The surfaces of amorphous alumina layers were found to be fractal in nature because of the scaling performance of roughness, while the surfaces of Hastelloy substrates were not. The flatten modification of AFM images was discussed. And the calculation of surface roughness in smaller parts divided from the whole AFM images was studied, compared with the results of actual AFM measurements of the same scan scales.

In order to achieve the large scanning angle without mechanical failure during actuation, the micro-mirror structure was fabricated using Fe-based metallic glass (MG) ribbon. High values of mechanical strength and elastic strain limit are desired for the torsion bar for providing high performance of the mirror, including large tilting angle and good stability. MG materials guarantee superior value of elastic strain limit and fracture toughness resulting from its amorphous structure without line defects like dislocations and grain boundaries. We chose Fe-base MG material for mirror actuation according to its good soft magnetic properties and simple structure without any further step of integration of magnetic material. Millimeter-size mirror device was successfully fabricated by laser machining techniques from Fe-based MG ribbon. Extremely large optical tilting angle of exceeding 100° was obtained on activation of the mirror by magnetic force when electrical current of 100 mA was applied. Large tilting angle of the mirror is due to the torsion bar which was fabricated with Fe-based MG material that has large elastic strain limit and high fracture toughness.

Using first-principles calculations, we study how to enhance thermal stability of high Ni compositional cathodes in Li-ion battery application. Using the archetype material LiNiO2 (LNO), we identify that ultrathin coating of Al2O3 (0001) on LNO(012) surface, which is the Li de-/intercalation channel, substantially improves the instability problem. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the Al2O3 deposits show phase transition from the corundum-type crystalline (c-Al2O3) to amorphous (a-Al2O3) structures as the number of coating layers reaches three. Ab initio molecular dynamic simulations on the LNO(012) surface coated by a-Al2O3 (about 0.88 nm) with three atomic layers oxygen gas evolution is strongly suppressed at T=400 K. We find that the underlying mechanism is the strong contacting force at the interface between LNO(012) and Al2O3 deposits, which, in turn, originated from highly ionic chemical bonding of Al and O at the interface. Furthermore, we identify that thermodynamic stability of the a-Al2O3 is even more enhanced with Li in the layer, implying that the protection for the LNO(012) surface by the coating layer is meaningful over the charging process. Our approach contributes to the design of innovative cathode materials with not only high-energy capacity but also long-term thermal and electrochemical stability applicable for a variety of electrochemical energy devices including Li-ion batteries. PMID:25980957

Hard protective coatings in the W-Re-B and Mo-Ru-B alloy systems have been deposited by magnetron sputtering onto soda-lime glass and heat-treated AISI 52100 steel substrates. X-ray diffraction has confirmed the amorphous nature of the as-deposited coatings, and their crystallization temperatures were determined by differential thermal analysis to be 1000 and 790 C for W-Re-B and Mo-Ru-B coatings, respectively. Both coatings exhibit high microhardness; Mo-Ru-B, in addition, has excellent corrosion resistance by comparison with pure Mo at high anodic potentials. Attention is given to the influence of internal stresses on the protective properties of the coatings deposited under different conditions.

Amorphous diamond films having a significant reduction in intrinsic stress are prepared by biasing a substrate to be coated and depositing carbon ions thereon under controlled temperature conditions. 1 fig.

The real time detection of quantitative oxygen release from the cathode is performed by in-situ Gas Chromatography as a tool to not only determine the amount of oxygen release from a lithium-ion cell but also to address the safety concerns. This in-situ gas chromatography technique monitoring the gas evolution during electrochemical reaction presents opportunities to clearly understand the effect of surface modification and predict on the cathode stability. The oxide cathode, 0.5Li2MnO3∙0.5LiNi0.4Co0.2Mn0.4O2, surface modified by amorphous cobalt-phosphate nanoparticles (a-CoPO4) is prepared by a simple co-precipitation reaction followed by a mild heat treatment. The presence of a 40 nm thick a-CoPO4 coating layer wrapping the oxide powders is confirmed by electron microscopy. The electrochemical measurements reveal that the a-CoPO4 coated overlithiated layered oxide cathode shows better performances than the pristine counterpart. The enhanced performance of the surface modified oxide is attributed to the uniformly coated Co-P-O layer facilitating the suppression of O2 evolution and offering potential lithium host sites. Further, the formation of a stable SEI layer protecting electrolyte decomposition also contributes to enhanced stabilities with lesser voltage decay. The in-situ gas chromatography technique to study electrode safety offers opportunities to investigate the safety issues of a variety of nanostructured electrodes. PMID:27001370

The real time detection of quantitative oxygen release from the cathode is performed by in-situ Gas Chromatography as a tool to not only determine the amount of oxygen release from a lithium-ion cell but also to address the safety concerns. This in-situ gas chromatography technique monitoring the gas evolution during electrochemical reaction presents opportunities to clearly understand the effect of surface modification and predict on the cathode stability. The oxide cathode, 0.5Li2MnO3∙0.5LiNi0.4Co0.2Mn0.4O2, surface modified by amorphous cobalt-phosphate nanoparticles (a-CoPO4) is prepared by a simple co-precipitation reaction followed by a mild heat treatment. The presence of a 40 nm thick a-CoPO4 coating layer wrapping the oxide powders is confirmed by electron microscopy. The electrochemical measurements reveal that the a-CoPO4 coated overlithiated layered oxide cathode shows better performances than the pristine counterpart. The enhanced performance of the surface modified oxide is attributed to the uniformly coated Co-P-O layer facilitating the suppression of O2 evolution and offering potential lithium host sites. Further, the formation of a stable SEI layer protecting electrolyte decomposition also contributes to enhanced stabilities with lesser voltage decay. The in-situ gas chromatography technique to study electrode safety offers opportunities to investigate the safety issues of a variety of nanostructured electrodes. PMID:27001370

The real time detection of quantitative oxygen release from the cathode is performed by in-situ Gas Chromatography as a tool to not only determine the amount of oxygen release from a lithium-ion cell but also to address the safety concerns. This in-situ gas chromatography technique monitoring the gas evolution during electrochemical reaction presents opportunities to clearly understand the effect of surface modification and predict on the cathode stability. The oxide cathode, 0.5Li2MnO3•0.5LiNi0.4Co0.2Mn0.4O2, surface modified by amorphous cobalt-phosphate nanoparticles (a-CoPO4) is prepared by a simple co-precipitation reaction followed by a mild heat treatment. The presence of a 40 nm thick a-CoPO4 coating layer wrapping the oxide powders is confirmed by electron microscopy. The electrochemical measurements reveal that the a-CoPO4 coated overlithiated layered oxide cathode shows better performances than the pristine counterpart. The enhanced performance of the surface modified oxide is attributed to the uniformly coated Co-P-O layer facilitating the suppression of O2 evolution and offering potential lithium host sites. Further, the formation of a stable SEI layer protecting electrolyte decomposition also contributes to enhanced stabilities with lesser voltage decay. The in-situ gas chromatography technique to study electrode safety offers opportunities to investigate the safety issues of a variety of nanostructured electrodes.

Coupling of Earth-abundant hydrogen evolution catalysts to photoabsorbers is crucial for the production of hydrogen fuel using sunlight. In this work, we demonstrate the use of magnetron sputtering to deposit Mo2C as an efficient hydrogen evolution reaction catalyst onto surface-protected amorphous silicon (a-Si) photoabsorbers. The a-Si/Mo2C photocathode evolves hydrogen under simulated solar illumination in strongly acidic and alkaline electrolytes. Onsets of photocurrents are observed at potentials as positive as 0.85 V vs RHE. Under AM 1.5G (1 sun) illumination, the photocathodes reach current densities of -11.2 mA cm(-2) at the reversible hydrogen potential in 0.1 M H2SO4 and 1.0 M KOH. The high photovoltage and low-cost of the Mo2C/a-Si assembly make it a promising photocathode for solar hydrogen production. PMID:26005904

The process-parameter-dependent optical and structural properties of MgO-Al2O3-ZrO2 ternary mixed-composite material were investigated. Optical properties were derived from spectrophotometric measurements. The surface morphology, grain size distributions, crystallographic phases, and process- dependent material composition of films were investigated through the use of atomic force microscopy, x-ray diffraction analysis, and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis. Energy-dispersive x-ray analysis made evident the correlation between the optical constants and the process-dependent compositions in the films. It is possible to achieve environmentally stable amorphous films with high packing density under certain optimized process conditions.

Ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD)/nonhydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C) composite (UNCD/a-C) films were deposited on cemented carbide containing Co by coaxial arc plasma deposition. With decreasing substrate temperature, the hardness was enhanced accompanied by an enhancement in the sp3/(sp2 + sp3). Energy-dispersive X-ray and secondary ion mass spectrometry spectroscopic measurements exhibited that the diffusion of Co atoms from the substrates into the films hardly occurs. The film deposited at room temperature exhibited the maximum hardness of 51.3 GPa and Young's modulus of 520.2 GPa, which evidently indicates that graphitization induced by Co in the WC substrates, and thermal deformation from sp3 to sp2 bonding are suppressed. The hard UNCD/a-C films can be deposited at a thickness of approximately 3 μm, which is an order larger than that of comparably hard a-C films. The internal compressive stress of the 51.3-GPa film is 4.5 GPa, which is evidently smaller than that of comparably hard a-C films. This is a reason for the thick deposition. The presence of a large number of grain boundaries in the film, which is a structural specific to UNCD/a-C films, might play a role in releasing the internal stress of the films.

Polar molecules and graphene oxide (GO) have been used as the shell materials to prepare core-shell structured particles with enhanced electrorheological (ER) properties. Nevertheless, few studies compared the ER performance and stability of the suspensions with the two kinds of shell. In this study, urea and GO are used as the shell materials to prepare TiO2/urea and TiO2/GO core-shell particles-based ER fluids, respectively. Particle characterization results indicate the two kinds of core-shell structured particles present little change in size, morphology and crystal structure compared with the bare amorphous TiO2. Some polar groups are distributed on the surface of the two kinds of core-shell structured particles, which is responsible for their improved ER performance with respect to the bare TiO2 particles. The TiO2/GO particles-based ER fluid presents higher yield stress, lower leakage current density, better sedimentation stability but lower ER efficiency than the TiO2/urea particles-based sample. The larger surface area, stronger connection with the bare TiO2 particles, and larger number of polar groups of the GO-coating is the possible reason for the different properties of TiO2/GO particles-based ER fluid compared with the TiO2/urea particles-based sample.

Spent nuclear fuel contains fissionable materials ({sup 235}U, {sup 239}Pu, {sup 241}Pu, etc.). Neutron multiplication and the potential for criticality are enhanced by the presence of a moderator during cask loading in water, water incursion in accidents conditions during spent fuel storage or transport. To prevent nuclear criticality in spent fuel storage, transportation, and during disposal, neutron-absorbing materials (or neutron poisons, such as borated stainless steel, Boral{trademark}, Metamic{trademark}, Ni-Gd, and others) would have to be applied. The success in demonstrating that the High-Performance Corrosion-Resistant material (HPCRM) can be thermally applied as coating onto base metal to provide for corrosion resistance for many naval applications raises the interest in applying the HPCRM to USDOE/OCRWM spent fuel management program. The fact that the HPCRM relies on the high content of boron to make the material amorphous--an essential property for corrosion resistance--and that the boron has to be homogeneously distributed in the HPCRM qualify the material to be a neutron poison.

Recently reported results on domain wall propagation within the inner core of bistable Fe-based positive magnetostrictive amorphous microwires opened up the way for future spintronic applications of amorphous microwires. Domain wall propagation has also been investigated in Co-based nearly zero magnetostrictive microwires, which become bistable under certain conditions. Wall velocity and mobility values were found to be superior in the latter type of microwires due to their much smaller magnetoelastic anisotropy. In this paper, the key role played by the surface domain structure of microwires in determining the wall mobility is investigated. Wall velocity measurements have been performed on (Co0.94Fe0.06)72.5Si12.5B15 microwires in as-cast glass-coated state and after glass removal with a hydrofluoric acid solution. Surface magnetization has been studied employing magneto-optical Kerr effect. The results show that both as-cast glass-coated microwires and microwires with the glass coating removed, which are bistable, display a helical magnetization in the surface region. The direction of the magnetization in this region affects the mobility of the propagating wall due to the stray fields associated with the preponderant components of the magnetization.

High saturation magnetic flux density (high-Bs) alloy has been developed in an Fe-based nanocrystalline alloy system. A nanocrystalline phase with an average grain size of about 20 nm is obtained by annealing Cu-substituted and/or Cu-and-Si-complex-substituted Fe-B amorphous alloys. The alloy exhibits low coercivity of less than 7 A m-1 and a high Bs of more than 1.8 T. The iron loss at 50 Hz and 1.6 T for a toroidal core made of Fe80.5Cu1.5Si4B14 nanocrystalline alloy is 0.46 W kg-1, which is about 2/3 of that of grain-oriented Si steel. Moreover, the iron loss at 10 kHz and 0.2 T for a wound core made of this alloy is 7.5 W kg-1, which is about 25% of that of non-grain-oriented Si steel and about 60% of that of an Fe-basedamorphous alloy. In addition, the cut cores made of the alloy show good superimposed dc-current characteristics and appear promising in applications such as power choke coils (at the high-frequency region).

In this article, the laser-engineered net shaping (LENS) process is implemented to fabricate net-shaped Fe-based Fe-B-Cr-C-Mn-Mo-W-Zr metallic glass (MG) components. The glass-forming ability (GFA), glass transition, crystallization behavior, and mechanical properties of the glassy alloy are analyzed to provide fundamental insights into the underlying physical mechanisms. The microstructures of various LENS-processed component geometries are characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results reveal that the as-processed microstructure consists of nanocrystalline α-Fe particles embedded in an amorphous matrix. An amorphous microstructure is observed in deposited layers that are located near the substrate. From a microstructure standpoint, the fraction of crystalline phases increases with the increasing number of deposited layers, effectively resulting in the formation of a functionally graded microstructure with in-situ-precipitated particles in an MG matrix. The microhardness of LENS-processed Fe-based MG components has a high value of 9.52 GPa.

Solar photovoltaics (PV) are emerging as a major alternative energy source. The cost of PV electricity depends on the efficiency of conversion of light to electricity. Despite of steady growth in the efficiency for several decades, little has been achieved to reduce the impact of real-world operating temperatures on this efficiency. Here we demonstrate a highly efficient cooling solution to the recently emerging high performance plasmonic solar cell technology by integrating an advanced nano-coated heat-pipe plate. This thermal cooling technology, efficient for both summer and winter time, demonstrates the heat transportation capability up to ten times higher than those of the metal plate and the conventional wickless heat-pipe plates. The reduction in temperature rise of the plasmonic solar cells operating under one sun condition can be as high as 46%, leading to an approximate 56% recovery in efficiency, which dramatically increases the energy yield of the plasmonic solar cells. This newly-developed, thermally-managed plasmonic solar cell device significantly extends the application scope of PV for highly efficient solar energy conversion. PMID:27113558

Solar photovoltaics (PV) are emerging as a major alternative energy source. The cost of PV electricity depends on the efficiency of conversion of light to electricity. Despite of steady growth in the efficiency for several decades, little has been achieved to reduce the impact of real-world operating temperatures on this efficiency. Here we demonstrate a highly efficient cooling solution to the recently emerging high performance plasmonic solar cell technology by integrating an advanced nano-coated heat-pipe plate. This thermal cooling technology, efficient for both summer and winter time, demonstrates the heat transportation capability up to ten times higher than those of the metal plate and the conventional wickless heat-pipe plates. The reduction in temperature rise of the plasmonic solar cells operating under one sun condition can be as high as 46%, leading to an approximate 56% recovery in efficiency, which dramatically increases the energy yield of the plasmonic solar cells. This newly-developed, thermally-managed plasmonic solar cell device significantly extends the application scope of PV for highly efficient solar energy conversion.

Solar photovoltaics (PV) are emerging as a major alternative energy source. The cost of PV electricity depends on the efficiency of conversion of light to electricity. Despite of steady growth in the efficiency for several decades, little has been achieved to reduce the impact of real-world operating temperatures on this efficiency. Here we demonstrate a highly efficient cooling solution to the recently emerging high performance plasmonic solar cell technology by integrating an advanced nano-coated heat-pipe plate. This thermal cooling technology, efficient for both summer and winter time, demonstrates the heat transportation capability up to ten times higher than those of the metal plate and the conventional wickless heat-pipe plates. The reduction in temperature rise of the plasmonic solar cells operating under one sun condition can be as high as 46%, leading to an approximate 56% recovery in efficiency, which dramatically increases the energy yield of the plasmonic solar cells. This newly-developed, thermally-managed plasmonic solar cell device significantly extends the application scope of PV for highly efficient solar energy conversion. PMID:27113558

In this paper we report basic properties of iron-based superconductors and review the latest achievements in the fabrication of conductors based on these materials. We compare state-of-the-art results with performances obtained with low-T c and high-T c technical superconductors, evidencing in particular the most significant differences with respect to high-T c cuprate coated conductors. Although the optimization of preparation procedures is yet to be established, a potential range of applications for iron-based superconductors in the high field low temperature regime can be envisaged, where they may become competitors to RE-123 coated conductors.

A system for coating a surface comprises providing a source of amorphous metal, providing ceramic particles, and applying the amorphous metal and the ceramic particles to the surface by a spray. The coating comprises a composite material made of amorphous metal that contains one or more of the following elements in the specified range of composition: yttrium (.gtoreq.1 atomic %), chromium (14 to 18 atomic %), molybdenum (.gtoreq.7 atomic %), tungsten (.gtoreq.1 atomic %), boron (.ltoreq.5 atomic %), or carbon (.gtoreq.4 atomic %).

A system for coating a surface comprises providing a source of amorphous metal, providing ceramic particles, and applying the amorphous metal and the ceramic particles to the surface by a spray. The coating comprises a composite material made of amorphous metal that contains one or more of the following elements in the specified range of composition: yttrium (.gtoreq.1 atomic %), chromium (14 to 18 atomic %), molybdenum (.gtoreq.7 atomic %), tungsten (.gtoreq.1 atomic %), boron (.ltoreq.5 atomic %), or carbon (.gtoreq.4 atomic %).

The application of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings on automotive components is emerging as a favorable strategy to address the recent challenges in the industry. DLC coatings can effectively lower the coefficient of friction (CoF) and wear rate of engine components, thereby improving their fuel efficiency and durability. The lubrication of ferrous materials can be enhanced by a large amount of unsaturated and polar components of oils. Therefore, the interaction between nonferrous coatings (e.g., DLC) and vegetable oil should be investigated. A ball-on-plate tribotester was used to run the experiments. Stainless steel plates coated with amorphous hydrogenated (a-C:H) DLC and hydrogen-free tetrahedral (ta-C) DLC that slide against 440C stainless steel ball were used to create a ball-on-plate tribotester. The wear track was investigated through scanning electron microscopy. Energy dispersive and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies were used to analyze the tribofilm inside the wear track. Raman analysis was performed to investigate the structural changes in the coatings. At high temperatures, the CoF in both coatings decreased. The wear rate, however, increased in the a-C:H but decreased in the ta-C DLC-coated plates. The CoF and the wear rate (coated layer and counter surface) were primarily influenced by the graphitization of the coating. Tribochemical films, such as polyphosphate glass, were formed in ta-C and acted as protective layers. Therefore, the wear rate of the ta-C DLC was lower than that of the-C:H DLC.

Digital computers have always been constructed to behave as precise arrangements of reliable parts, and our techniques for organizing computations depend upon this precision and reliability. Two emerging technologies, however, are begnning to undercut these assumptions about constructing and programming computers. These technologies -- microfabrication and bioengineering -- will make it possible to assemble systems composed of myriad information- processing units at almost no cost, provided: 1) that not all the units need to work correctly; and 2) that there is no need to manufacture precise geometrical arrangements or interconnection patterns among them. Microelectronic mechanical components are becoming so inexpensive to manufacture that we can anticipate combining logic circuits, microsensors, actuators, and communications devices integrated on the same chip to produce particles that could be mixed with bulk materials, such as paints, gels, and concrete. Imagine coating bridges or buildings with smart paint that can sense and report on traffic and wind loads and monitor structural integrity of the bridge. A smart paint coating on a wall could sense vibrations, monitor the premises for intruders, or cancel noise. Even more striking, there has been such astounding progress in understanding the biochemical mechanisms in individual cells, that it appears we'll be able to harness these mechanisms to construct digital- logic circuits. Imagine a discipline of cellular engineering that could tailor-make biological cells that function as sensors and actuators, as programmable delivery vehicles for pharmaceuticals, as chemical factories for the assembly of nanoscale structures. Fabricating such systems seem to be within our reach, even if it is not yet within our grasp Fabrication, however, is only part of the story. We can envision producing vast quantities of individual computing elements, whether microfabricated particles, engineered cells, or macromolecular computing

Amorphous metal alloys of the iron-chromium and nickel-chromium type have excellent corrosion resistance and high temperature stability and are suitable for use as a protective coating on less corrosion resistant substrates. The alloys are stabilized in the amorphous state by one or more elements of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, and tungsten. The alloy is preferably prepared by sputter deposition.

A method of applying an intermediate bond coat on a laser mirror substrate is described comprising surface polishing the mirror substrate followed by depositing a layer of amorphous silicon, amorphous germanium, or mixtures thereof on the mirror surface, and polishing the thus coated mirror surface to a substantially void-free surface finish. Laser mirror substrates such as graphite fiber reinforced glass, molybdenum and silicon carbide coated by such process are also described.

We report on the magnetocaloric effect in an Fe-based metallic glass (Fe80B12Nb8) as compared to the benchmark material gadolinium. From temperature-dependent magnetization measurements, the magnetic entropy change was calculated using the thermodynamic Maxwell relations. The adiabatic temperature change was directly measured for both materials using a dedicated setup. An analysis of the magnetic transition in amorphous Fe80B12Nb8 and crystalline gadolinium using a mean field and a phenomenological model was carried out. It was shown that both materials, in particular crystalline gadolinium, which does not possess structural disorder but merely a fluctuation of the exchange integral, can be described using the Handrich model for the magnetic transition of disordered materials. Furthermore, the Landau theory of second-order phase transitions quantitatively describes the magnetic entropy change and its dependence on the applied field very well for both materials with different definitions of disorder.

An excellent high-temperature magnetic softness was observed in a Si-rich nanocrystalline Fe74.5Cu1Nb2Si17.5B5 alloy. The Curie temperatures of amorphous and crystal phases, TCA* and TCcry, for this alloy were detected to be 365 °C and 580 °C, respectively. For the 480 °C-annealed alloy, the initial permeability μi drops to nearly zero just above TCA*; however, for the 540 °C-annealed alloy, the μi of about 10 000 at f = 10 kHz has no perceivable decline in this temperature range and can hold up to more than 400 °C. Such a magnetic softness at elevated temperature is superior to that of Finemet-type Fe-based nanocrystalline alloys ever reported. The origin of the high temperature magnetic softness was interpreted by the enhancement effect of Curie temperature in residual amorphous matrix.

Burst behavior of austenitic and ferritic Fe-based alloy tubes has been examined under a simulated large break loss of coolant accident. Specifically, type 304 stainless steel (304SS) and oxidation resistant FeCrAl tubes were studied alongside Zircaloy-2 and Zircaloy-4 that are considered reference fuel cladding materials. Following the burst test, characterization of the cladding materials was carried out to gain insights regarding the integral burst behavior. Given the widespread availability of a comprehensive set of thermo-mechanical data at elevated temperatures for 304SS, a modeling framework was implemented to simulate the various processes that affect burst behavior in this Fe-based alloy. Themore » most important conclusion is that cladding ballooning due to creep is negligible for Fe-based alloys. Thus, unlike Zr-based alloys, cladding cross-sectional area remains largely unchanged up to the point of burst. Furthermore, for a given rod internal pressure, the temperature onset of burst in Fe-based alloys appears to be simply a function of the alloy's ultimate tensile strength, particularly at high rod internal pressures.« less

Burst behavior of austenitic and ferritic Fe-based alloy tubes has been examined under a simulated large break loss of coolant accident. Specifically, type 304 stainless steel (304SS) and oxidation resistant FeCrAl tubes were studied alongside Zircaloy-2 and Zircaloy-4 that are considered reference fuel cladding materials. Following the burst test, characterization of the cladding materials was carried out to gain insights regarding the integral burst behavior. Given the widespread availability of a comprehensive set of thermo-mechanical data at elevated temperatures for 304SS, a modeling framework was implemented to simulate the various processes that affect burst behavior in this Fe-based alloy. The most important conclusion is that cladding ballooning due to creep is negligible for Fe-based alloys. Thus, unlike Zr-based alloys, cladding cross-sectional area remains largely unchanged up to the point of burst. Furthermore, for a given rod internal pressure, the temperature onset of burst in Fe-based alloys appears to be simply a function of the alloy's ultimate tensile strength, particularly at high rod internal pressures.

Plasma spray and high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) techniques produce coatings with varying composition and amounts of amorphous and crystalline phases. For coatings containing greater amorphous phases, a higher release of calcium ions is evident when samples are placed in Hank's calcium-free balanced salt solutions. Calcium is released from the amorphous phases in the coating, a conclusion that is supported by x-ray powder diffraction (XRD) results. Ion beam sputtering and RF magnetron sputtering under lower energy conditions produce amorphouscoatings that will dissolve in a very short time period. When heat treated, crystalline phases are produced in the coatings. Heat-treated coatings are significantly more stable than the amorphouscoatings. The dissolution rates of both amorphous and crystalline coatings produced by RF magnetron sputtering have been measured under constant solution conditions at pH 6.50. No reprecipitation is possible under these conditions. The amorphouscoating dissolved at a significantly higher rate than the heat-treated coating. Reprecipitation of calcium phosphate onto amorphouscoatings is possible in a physiological pH solution. Under these conditions, the dissolution rate of the amorphouscoating is four times slower than at the pH 6.50 conditions. PMID:10196809

Iron-based amorphous alloys are hard and highly corrosion resistant, which make them desirable for salt water and other applications. These alloys can be produced as powder and can be deposited as coatings on any surface that needs to be protected from the environment. It was of interest to examine the behavior of these amorphous alloys in the standard salt-fog testing ASTM B 117. Three different amorphouscoating compositions were deposited on 316L SS coupons and exposed for many cycles of the salt fog test. Other common engineering alloys such as 1018 carbon steel, 316L SS and Hastelloy C-22 were also tested together with the amorphouscoatings. Results show that amorphouscoatings are resistant to rusting in salt fog. Partial devitrification may be responsible for isolated rust spots in one of the coatings. (authors)

W and W-Cu composites were bonded with an amorphous W-Fe coated copper foil as the interlayer at different temperature and holding time by hot pressing method. Effects of the bonding temperature and holding time on the microstructure and thermal conductivity of the bonded specimens were investigated. The thermal conductivity of the bonded sample increased with the bonding temperature and reached the maximum at 1000 °C, but essentially unchanged with the holding time. Because at 1000 °C more W-Fe compounds would be formed at the interlayer, which were helpful for tight bonding of W and W-Cu composites, and the grain size was larger which could reduce thermal resistance. The W-Cu FGM bonded by this method showed good resistance to thermal load, and performed well when facing to short pulse plasma in experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (the first full superconductive fusion device in the world).

We introduce amorphic complexity as a new topological invariant that measures the complexity of dynamical systems in the regime of zero entropy. Its main purpose is to detect the very onset of disorder in the asymptotic behaviour. For instance, it gives positive value to Denjoy examples on the circle and Sturmian subshifts, while being zero for all isometries and Morse-Smale systems. After discussing basic properties and examples, we show that amorphic complexity and the underlying asymptotic separation numbers can be used to distinguish almost automorphic minimal systems from equicontinuous ones. For symbolic systems, amorphic complexity equals the box dimension of the associated Besicovitch space. In this context, we concentrate on regular Toeplitz flows and give a detailed description of the relation to the scaling behaviour of the densities of the p-skeletons. Finally, we take a look at strange non-chaotic attractors appearing in so-called pinched skew product systems. Continuous-time systems, more general group actions and the application to cut and project quasicrystals will be treated in subsequent work.

In the first three years since the discovery of Fe-based high Tc superconductors, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy have shed light on three important questions. First, STM has demonstrated the complexity of the pairing symmetry in Fe-based materials. Phase-sensitive quasiparticle interference (QPI) imaging and low temperature spectroscopy have shown that the pairing order parameter varies from nodal to nodeless s± within a single family, FeTe1-xSex. Second, STM has imaged C4 → C2 symmetry breaking in the electronic states of both parent and superconducting materials. As a local probe, STM is in a strong position to understand the interactions between these broken symmetry states and superconductivity. Finally, STM has been used to image the vortex state, giving insights into the technical problem of vortex pinning, and the fundamental problem of the competing states introduced when superconductivity is locally quenched by a magnetic field. Here we give a pedagogical introduction to STM and QPI imaging, discuss the specific challenges associated with extracting bulk properties from the study of surfaces, and report on progress made in understanding Fe-based superconductors using STM techniques.

The glass-forming ability of Fe-based metallic glasses has a direct relationship with their metalloid content. A good glass-former usually needs a metalloid content of approximately 20 at. %. However, a high metalloid content causes deterioration not only in magnetic properties but also in elasticity and plasticity. Based on destabilization of the solid state we have developed a series of metalloid-free Fe-based metallic glasses of composition (Fe{sub 0.582}Co{sub 0.418}){sub 100-x-y}Cr{sub x}Zr{sub y} (10{<=}x{<=}28 and 8{<=}y{<=}11). Via this destabilization the liquid state is stabilized, which results in a decreasing liquidus temperature. The mechanical and magnetic properties of the metalloid-free Fe-based metallic glass with the highest Fe and Co fractions were analyzed. The alloy of composition (Fe{sub 0.582}Co{sub 0.418}){sub 80}Cr{sub 10}Zr{sub 10} exhibits bending elasticity and plasticity. Magnetization measurements reveal a saturation magnetization of up to 1.1 T and an inverted hysteresis. The origin of this inverted hysteresis presumably lies in the inclination to decompose in a ferromagnetic iron-rich {alpha}{sub 1} phase and an antiferromagnetic chromium-rich {alpha}{sub 2} phase.

Aerosolisation performance of hygroscopic particles of colistin could be compromised at elevated humidity due to increased capillary forces. Co-spray drying colistin with a hydrophobic drug is known to provide a protective coating on the composite particle surfaces against moisture-induced reduction in aerosolisation performance; however, the effects of component ratio on surface coating quality and powder aerosolisation at elevated relative humidities are unknown. In this study, we have systematically examined the effects of mass ratio of hydrophobic azithromycin on surface coating quality and aerosolisation performance of the co-spray dried composite particles. Four combination formulations with varying drug ratios were prepared by co-spray drying drug solutions. Both of the drugs in each combination formulation had similar in vitro deposition profiles, suggesting that each composite particle comprises two drugs in the designed mass ratio, which is supported by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) data. XPS and ToF-SIMS measurements also revealed that 50% by weight (or 35% by molecular fraction) of azithromycin in the formulation provided a near complete coating of 96.5% (molar fraction) on the composite particle surface, which is sufficient to prevent moisture-induced reduction in fine particle fraction (FPF)recovered and FPFemitted. Higher azithromycin content did not increase coating coverage, while contents of azithromycin lower than 20% w/w did not totally prevent the negative effects of humidity on aerosolisation performance. This study has highlighted that a critical amount of azithromycin is required to sufficiently coat the colistin particles for short-term protection against moisture. PMID:27255350

An electron emitter comprising a textured silicon wafer overcoated with a thin (200 .ANG.) layer of nitrogen-doped, amorphous-diamond (a:D-N), which lowers the field below 20 volts/micrometer have been demonstrated using this emitter compared to uncoated or diamond coated emitters wherein the emission is at fields of nearly 60 volts/micrometer. The silicon/nitrogen-doped, amorphous-diamond (Si/a:D-N) emitter may be produced by overcoating a textured silicon wafer with amorphous-diamond (a:D) in a nitrogen atmosphere using a filtered cathodic-arc system. The enhanced performance of the Si/a:D-N emitter lowers the voltages required to the point where field-emission displays are practical. Thus, this emitter can be used, for example, in flat-panel emission displays (FEDs), and cold-cathode vacuum electronics.

Melt-spun amorphous Fe73.5Cu1Nb3Si15.5B7 alloy strip was crushed to make flake-shaped fine powders. The passivated powders by phosphoric acid were mixed with organic and inorganic binder, followed by cold compaction to form toroid-shaped bonded powder-metallurgical magnets. The powder cores were heat-treated to crystallize the amorphous structure and to control the nano-grain structure. Well-coated phosphate-oxide insulation layer on the powder surface decreased the the core loss with the insulation of each powder. FeCuNbSiB nanocrystalline alloy powder core prepared from the powder having phosphate-oxide layer exhibits a stable permeability up to high frequency range over 2 MHz. Especially, the core loss could be reduced remarkably. At the other hand, the softened inorganic binder in the annealing process could effectively improve the intensity of powder cores.

Depositing an ultra-thin tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) protective coating on the surface of the recording heads in magnetic tape drives can improve the tribological problems at the head/tape interface. In this work the effect of pre-treatment of the surface of AlTiC substrate (main bearing surface of head in contact with tape) by C+ ions of moderate energy (smaller than 400 eV) on the structural and tribo-mechanical behaviours of the coated surfaces is studied. Sample preparation consisted of two separate stages of surface pre-treatment and deposition of the protective film, and was done by means of filtered cathodic vacuum arc. Structure of the ta-C film and its interface with the substrate were studied by transmission electron microscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry depth profiling. The results revealed the formation of a broader, dense atomically mixed layer at the ta-C film-substrate interface of the pre-treated samples comparing with that of the samples without pre-treatment. Chemical characterization of thin diamond-like carbon coatings was conducted by means of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the surface pre-treatment was found to have a remarkable effect on increasing the sp3 hybridization fraction in the ta-C overcoat. Nano-tribological properties of the treated surfaces were examined using ball-on-flat wear test at very low load (20 mN). There was a good correlation between the surface and structure characteristics of the film, and the tribological results and the pre-treated surfaces presented a very low coefficient of friction and higher wear life. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of bombardment of the surface with C+ ions of moderate ion energy to improve the structural and tribo-mechanical properties of the protective ta-C films on the magnetic head substrate material.

The past four years of incredibly intense research into Fe-based superconductors have brought about many unexpected surprises. Our understanding of their behavior and physical properties is constantly evolving. Unlike any other superconductors, those containing iron span diverse groups of materials: pnictides, chalcogenides, intermetallics and oxides. Some major properties of the materials are quite similar, yet each group has its own distinct features. Significant effort has been put into identifying new superconducting compositions, modifying the existing ones with new dopants and treatments, and producing single crystals, thin films, wires and polycrystalline bulk material. A wide array of experimental techniques was applied to study Fe-based superconductors and the result is a tremendous amount of data collected over a period of less than four years. Theoretical debates are still lively, and there is an ongoing search for possible universalities and commonalities with other unconventional superconductors, like high-Tc cuprates or heavy fermion materials. The three-dimensional electronic structures of Fe-based superconductors, as well as their extreme sensitivity to disorder, present serious challenges for both theoretical analysis and the interpretation of experiments. However, some key properties emerge from multiple studies. Unconventional, multiband superconductivity originating from an electronic mechanism has found both experimental and theoretical support. There has been great progress in the understanding of various anisotropies of superconducting gap structures, including the possibility of gap nodes even if the gap symmetry is s-wave. Similar to high-Tc cuprates, the superconducting phase has a dome-like shape on T-doping or T-pressure phase diagrams. The anisotropy of the superconducting gap evolves with doping and is likely to become stronger at the dome's edge. In many Fe-based superconductors there is a range where superconductivity coexists and

The saturation magnetostriction constant, λs, of as-prepared and current annealed glass-covered Co57Fe6.1Ni10B15.9Si11, Co67.5Fe4Ni1.5B14Si12Mo1, Co69.1Fe5.2Ni1B14.8Si9.9 and Co69.5Fe3.9Ni1B12.8Si10.8Mo2 amorphous microwires has been measured by the small angle magnetization rotation method. As-prepared samples exhibit negative λs ranging between -0.9×10-6 and -0.3×10-6. Current annealing results in a significant change of λs, that is, a general tendency to increase towards zero.

Ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD)/nonhydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C) composite films were deposited on unheated WC containing Co by coaxial arc plasma deposition. The hardness of the film is 51.3 GPa, which is comparable with the highest values of hard a-C films deposited on nonbiased substrates. The deposited film is approximately 3 µm thick, which is one order larger than that of hard a-C films. The internal compressive stress is 4.5 GPa, which is evidently smaller than that of comparably hard a-C films. The existence of a large number of grain boundaries in the UNCD/a-C film might play a role in the release of the internal stress.

The electrolytic Ni-Cu based alloy coating with admixed interfacial blend of Mg have been successfully prepared on mild steel substrate by dual anode electroplating processes over a range of applied current density and dwell time. The electrocodeposition of Ni-Cu-Mg coating was investigated in the presence of other bath additives. The influence of deposition current on surface morphology, adhesion behavior, preferred crystal orientation, surface topography and electrochemical activity of Ni-Cu-Mg alloy coating on mild steel were systematically examined. The thermal stability of the developed composite materials was examined via isothermal treatment. Scanning electron microscope equipped with EDS, X-ray diffraction, Atomic force microscope, micro-hardness tester and 3 μmetrohm Potentiostat/galvanostat were used to compare untreated and isothermally treated electrocodeposited composite. The induced activity of the Ni-Cu-Mg alloy changed the surface modification and results to crystal precipitation within the structural interface by the formation of Cu, Ni2Mg3 phase. The obtained results showed that the introduction of Mg particles in the plating bath generally modified the surface and brings an increase in the hardness and corrosion resistance of Ni-Cu-Mg layers fabricated. Equally, isothermally treated composites demonstrated an improved properties indicating 45% increase in the micro-hardness and 79.6% corrosion resistance which further showed that the developed composite is thermally stable.

The small-angle-magnetization-rotation (SAMR) method for measuring the saturation magnetostrictin λ s has been reanalyzed, taking into account the underlying domain structure of the amorphous ribbon. Although the condition for determining λ s reamins unchenged, the modifications introduced allow one to understand many additional features of the experimental data. With the appropriate modifications, the SAMR method can be used to study stress relaxation in amorphous alloys. Examples are given Fe-based and Co-based alloys.

Pseudo-ternary Fe78P13C9 (the real composition is Fe77.6Si1.4P12.7C8.3) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) with the maximum diameter of 1.5 mm based on industrial raw materials has been prepared by J-quenching technique using the master alloys with fluxing treatment, whereas fully amorphous alloy rod with the diameter of 1.0 mm cannot be obtained by the same preparation method using the master alloy without fluxing treatment. It is indicated that the glass formation ability (GFA) of the present Fe-based alloys based on industrial raw materials can be greatly enhanced through fluxing treatment. For comparison, the amorphous alloy rod with the same composition based on the pure raw materials has also been prepared by the same preparation technique and the critical diameter for fully glass formation gets to 2.0 mm. The DSC result indicates that the present Fe-based BMG based on industrial raw materials reveals higher thermal stability compared with the BMG based on pure raw materials. The magnetic tests show that the saturation magnetizations of the present Fe-based BMGs prepared by pure raw materials and industrial raw material are around 1.40 T, and have no significant difference. Compressive tests show that the present Fe-based BMG based on industrial raw materials exhibits higher compressive fracture strength (3.11 GPa) and slightly less plastic strain (0.8 pct) compared with the BMG based on pure raw materials with the same composition.

The interplay of superconductivity and magnetism is a subject of ongoing interest, stimulated most recently by the discovery of Fe-based superconductivity and the recognition that spin-fluctuations near a magnetic quantum critical point may provide an explanation for the superconductivity and the order parameter. We investigate magnetism in the Na filled Fe-based skutterudites using first principles calculations. NaFe4Sb12 is a known ferromagnet near a quantum critical point. We find a ferromagnetic metallic state for this compound driven by a Stoner type instability, consistent with prior work. In accord with prior work, the magnetization is overestimated, as expected for a material nearmore » an itinerant ferromagnetic quantum critical point. NaFe4P12 also shows a ferromagnetic instability at the density functional level, but this instability is much weaker than that of NaFe4Sb12, possibly placing it on the paramagnetic side of the quantum critical point. NaFe4As12 shows intermediate behavior. We also present results for skutterudite FeSb3, which is a metastable phase that has been reported in thin film form.« less

The interplay of superconductivity and magnetism is a subject of ongoing interest, stimulated most recently by the discovery of Fe-based superconductivity and the recognition that spin-fluctuations near a magnetic quantum critical point may provide an explanation for the superconductivity and the order parameter. Here we investigate magnetism in the Na filled Fe-based skutterudites using first principles calculations. NaFe4Sb12 is a known ferromagnet near a quantum critical point. We find a ferromagnetic metallic state for this compound driven by a Stoner type instability, consistent with prior work. In accord with prior work, the magnetization is overestimated, as expected for a material near an itinerant ferromagnetic quantum critical point. NaFe4P12 also shows a ferromagnetic instability at the density functional level, but this instability is much weaker than that of NaFe4Sb12, possibly placing it on the paramagnetic side of the quantum critical point. NaFe4As12 shows intermediate behavior. We also present results for skutterudite FeSb3, which is a metastable phase that has been reported in thin film form. PMID:26027504

The interplay of superconductivity and magnetism is a subject of ongoing interest, stimulated most recently by the discovery of Fe-based superconductivity and the recognition that spin-fluctuations near a magnetic quantum critical point may provide an explanation for the superconductivity and the order parameter. Here we investigate magnetism in the Na filled Fe-based skutterudites using first principles calculations. NaFe4Sb12 is a known ferromagnet near a quantum critical point. We find a ferromagnetic metallic state for this compound driven by a Stoner type instability, consistent with prior work. In accord with prior work, the magnetization is overestimated, as expected for a material near an itinerant ferromagnetic quantum critical point. NaFe4P12 also shows a ferromagnetic instability at the density functional level, but this instability is much weaker than that of NaFe4Sb12, possibly placing it on the paramagnetic side of the quantum critical point. NaFe4As12 shows intermediate behavior. We also present results for skutterudite FeSb3, which is a metastable phase that has been reported in thin film form. PMID:26027504

The interplay of superconductivity and magnetism is a subject of ongoing interest, stimulated most recently by the discovery of Fe-based superconductivity and the recognition that spin-fluctuations near a magnetic quantum critical point may provide an explanation for the superconductivity and the order parameter. We investigate magnetism in the Na filled Fe-based skutterudites using first principles calculations. NaFe4Sb12 is a known ferromagnet near a quantum critical point. We find a ferromagnetic metallic state for this compound driven by a Stoner type instability, consistent with prior work. In accord with prior work, the magnetization is overestimated, as expected for a material near an itinerant ferromagnetic quantum critical point. NaFe4P12 also shows a ferromagnetic instability at the density functional level, but this instability is much weaker than that of NaFe4Sb12, possibly placing it on the paramagnetic side of the quantum critical point. NaFe4As12 shows intermediate behavior. We also present results for skutterudite FeSb3, which is a metastable phase that has been reported in thin film form.

Cycling stability of 5 V spinel LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 (LMNO) is improved by surface modification with FePO4 through a chemical deposition method. The pristine, 0.5 wt.%, 1 wt.% and 3 wt.% FePO4-coated LMNO are characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. It is found that the coating process is in favor of the disorder-order phase transition. The investigation on their cycling performance demonstrates that 1 wt.% FePO4-modified LMNO cathode exhibits the best cycling performance, with the capacity retention ratio of 99.3% after 50 cycles, much better than that of the pristine LMNO (only 79%). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is applied to explain the galvanostatic results. The enhanced cycling performance of the surface-modified samples can be attributed to the decreasing contact area between the electrode and electrolyte and the suppression of undesirable thick SEI (solid electrolyte interfacial) layer.

The results obtained during industrial trials have shown that the service life of hot work dies can be increased by 33 to 180% using the brush plating technique to prepare amorphouscoatings. The coatings possess a much higher hardness, lower friction coefficient at room and elevated temperatures, good scale resistance in addition to higher surface finish, compared to uncoated dies, and thus improve the tribological performance of the dies. In this work, a study of the crystallization process, its kinetics, and the hardness variations of the coatings has been made. According to the data obtained, it can be considered that the main reason for the success of amorphous brush-plated coatings is that, during the operation, crystallization and precipitation takes place instantaneously, which results in a strong secondary hardening effect, thus leading to an increase in the red hardness of the surface layers of dies, therefore ensuring higher thermal wear resistance of the dies.

Using a recently developed first-principles method for disordered materials [1-2], we investigate the effect of isovalent substitution in Fe-based superconductors, BaFe2(As1-xPx)2, FeTe1-xSex, and Ba(Fe1-xRux)2As2. For anion substitutions (the first two cases) effects of impurity scattering are found mostly in the anion bands. By contrast, the Ru substitution introduces much stronger scattering in the Fe bands. Surprisingly, in all the cases, the pockets near the chemical potential are the least affected, due to the low density of states near the chemical potential. Together, our results suggest an interesting scenario of enhancing superconductivity.[4pt] [1] T. Berlijn, D. Volja, W. Ku, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 077005 (2011).[0pt] [2] W.Ku, T. Berlijn, CC. Lee, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 216401 (2010).

An improved amorphous metal composite and process of making the composite. The amorphous metal composite comprises amorphous metal (e.g. iron) and a low molecular weight thermosetting polymer binder. The process comprises placing an amorphous metal in particulate form and a thermosetting polymer binder powder into a container, mixing these materials, and applying heat and pressure to convert the mixture into an amorphous metal composite.

Less than two years after the discovery of high temperature superconductivity in oxypnictide LaFeAs(O, F) several families of superconductors based on Fe layers (1111, 122, 11, 111) are available. They share several characteristics with cuprate superconductors that compromise easy applications, such as the layered structure, the small coherence length and unconventional pairing. On the other hand, the Fe-based superconductors have metallic parent compounds and their electronic anisotropy is generally smaller and does not strongly depend on the level of doping, and the supposed order parameter symmetry is s-wave, thus in principle not so detrimental to current transmission across grain boundaries. From the application point of view, the main efforts are still devoted to investigate the superconducting properties, to distinguish intrinsic from extrinsic behaviors and to compare the different families in order to identify which one is the fittest for the quest for better and more practical superconductors. The 1111 family shows the highest T{sub c}, huge but also the most anisotropic upper critical field and in-field, fan-shaped resistive transitions reminiscent of those of cuprates. On the other hand, the 122 family is much less anisotropic with sharper resistive transitions as in low temperature superconductors, but with about half the T{sub c} of the 1111 compounds. An overview of the main superconducting properties relevant to applications will be presented. Upper critical field, electronic anisotropy parameter, and intragranular and intergranular critical current density will be discussed and compared, where possible, across the Fe-based superconductor families.

The hemocompatibility and biocompatibility of a stent are determined by the physical and electrochemical properties of the stent surface. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility, safety and efficacy of implantation of a stent coated with silicon carbide. Baseline characteristics were collected prospectively. The occurrence of cardiac adverse events and the angina score were assessed at clinical follow-up. A total of 193 Tensum stents were implanted in 174 patients. In hospital, one patient experienced stent thrombosis and in 6% of the patients a creatinine kinase elevation to 240 U/l or more occurred. Long-term follow-up was performed in 172 patients, with a mean follow-up of 454 +/- 181 days. Ninety-seven per cent were still alive, 15% had undergone target-vessel revascularization, and 2% had angiographic restenosis and were treated with medication only. Seventy-one per cent of the patients were free of anginal complaints, and 20% had anginal complaints in Canadian Cardiac Society class I or II. The Tensum coronary stent showed to be a safe and efficacious device in this study, with a high primary success rate and favorable long-term clinical followup. PMID:12623396

Amorphous metal alloy coatings are plasma-deposited by dissociation of vapors of organometallic compounds and metalloid hydrides in the presence of a reducing gas, using a glow discharge. Tetracarbonylnickel, phosphine, and hydrogen constitute a typical reaction mixture of the invention, yielding a NiPC alloy.

Amorphous metal alloy coatings are plasma-deposited by dissociation of vapors of organometallic compounds and metalloid hydrides in the presence of a reducing gas, using a glow discharge. Tetracarbonylnickel, phosphine, and hydrogen constitute a typical reaction mixture of the invention, yielding a NiPC alloy.

A new amorphous alloy has been recently introduced which shows a saturation magnetic induction Bs of 1.64 T which is compared with Bs=1.57 T for a currently available Fe-basedamorphous alloy and decreased magnetic losses. Such a combination is rare but can be explained in terms of induced magnetic anisotropy being reduced by the alloy's chemistry and its heat treatment. It has been found that the region of magnetization rotation in the new alloy is considerably narrowed, resulting in reduced exciting power in the magnetic devices utilizing the material. Efforts to increase Bs also have been made for nanocrystalline alloys. For example, a nanocrystalline alloy having a composition of Fe80.5Cu1.5Si4B14 shows Bs exceeding 1.8 T. The iron loss at 50 Hz and at 1.6 T induction in a toroidal core of this material is 0.46 W/kg which is 2/3 that of a grain-oriented silicon steel. At 20 kHz/0.2 T excitation, the iron loss is about 60% of that in an Fe-basedamorphous alloy which is widely used in power electronics. Another example is a Fe85Si2B8P4Cu1 nanocrystalline alloy with a Bs of 1.8 T, which is reported to exhibit a magnetic core loss of about 0.2 W/kg at 50 Hz and at 1.5 T induction. This article is a review of these new developments and their impacts on energy efficient magnetic devices.

An efficient heterogeneous catalyst, Fe-based metallic glass (Fe–Si–B amorphous ribbon), was successfully prepared for Fenton-like degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) by a melt-spinning method. The catalyst was characterized using XRD and SEM. The effects of various reaction parameters such as H2O2 dosage, temperature, initial pH value, Fe–Si–B dosage and initial RhB concentration on the degradation of RhB were studied. Almost complete degradation of RhB (20 mg L−1) was achieved within only 10 min by 0.5 g L−1 Fe–Si–B catalyst and 1.6 mM H2O2 at pH 3.0 at 295 K. Kinetic analyses showed that the degradation process could be described by a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The catalytic stability was also investigated and it was found that the Fe–Si–B catalyst exhibited good structural stability and no loss of performance even after three cycles. It was concluded that the Fe–Si–B amorphous ribbon was a potential heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst for industrial wastewater treatment. PMID:25461929

The superconducting gap symmetry of the Fe-based superconductors was studied by measurements and analysis of London penetration depth and super uid density. Tunnel diode resonator technique for these measurements was implemented in a dilution refrigerator allowing for the temperatures down to 50 mK. For the analysis of the super uid density, we used both experimental studies of Al-coated samples and original thermodynamic approach based on Rutgers relation. In three systems studied, we found that the superconducting gap at the optimal doping is best described in multi-gap full gap scenario. By performing experiments on samples with arti cially introduced disorder with heavy ion irradiation, we show that evolution of the superconducting transition temperature and of the super uid density are consistent with full-gap sign changing s superconducting state. The superconducting gap develops strong modulation both in the under-doped and the over-doped regimes. In the terminal hole-doped KFe{sub 2}As{sub 2}, both temperature dependence of the super uid density and its evolution with increase of the scattering rate are consistent with symmetry imposed vertical line nodes in the superconducting gap. By comparative studies of hole-doped (Ba,K)Fe{sub 2}As{sub 2} and electron-doped Ca10-3-8, we show that the superconducting gap modulation in the under-doped regime is intrinsic and is not induced by the coexisting static magnetic order.

The Fe-based superconductors (FBSs) are an important new class of superconducting materials. As with any new superconductor with a high transition temperature and upper critical field, there is a need to establish what their applications potential might be. Applications require high critical current densities, so the usefulness of any new superconductor is determined both by the capability to develop strong vortex pinning and by the absence or ability to overcome any strong current-limiting mechanisms of which grain boundaries (GBs) in the cuprates are a cautionary example. In this review we first consider the positive role that GB properties play in the metallic, low-temperature superconductors and then review the theoretical background and current experimental data relating to the properties of GBs in FBS polycrystals, bicrystal thin films and wires. Based on this evidence, we conclude that GBs in FBS are weak linked in a qualitatively similar way to GBs in the cuprate superconductors, but also that the effects are a little less marked. Initial experiments with the textured substrates used for cuprate coated conductors show similar benefit for the critical current density of FBS thin films too. We also note that the particular richness of the pairing symmetry and the multiband parent state in FBS may provide opportunities for GB modification as a better understanding of their pairing state and GB properties are developed.

The introduction of defects by particle irradiation is used to reveal the role of disorder in matter, which is unavoidable in all crystalline solids. In superconductors defects introduce flux pinning, controlling critical current, Jc; as well as pair-breaking scattering, limiting the critical temperature, Tc. To elucidate defect related properties of Fe-based superconductors (FBS) we precede in two types of irradiation: heavy ion (6GeV Pb) to create disorder in the form of amorphous tracks and low temperature electron irradiation (2.5MeV at 20K) to create point like defects. Substantial increase of irreversible magnetization and an upward shift of the irreversibility line are observed after heavy ion irradiation of all FBS investigated to date. In BaK 122 , signatures of a Bose-glass vortex state; angular dependence and variable-range hopping flux creep are revealed. Remarkably, heavy ion irradiation does not depress Tc, however, point-like disorder introduced by electron irradiation does substantially. In isovalently substituted Ba(FeAs1 - xPx) 2 and Ba(Fe1 - x Rux As) 2 crystals, Tc decreases linearly with dose. Suppression to 40 % of initial value of Tc was achieved in Ba(FeAs1 - xPx) 2 . An increase of normal state resistivity is observed and correlated to depression of Tc. Change of superconducting gap structure with disorder was determined from penetration depth measurements, λ (T) dependence, at various stages of irradiation. Linear in T variation of pristine samples, indicative of the presence of nodes in gap, turned at low irradiation dose to exponential T variation, indicative of a fully gaped state. T2 variation of λ is observed at higher doses. This behaviour is incompatible with symmetry-imposed nodes of d-wave pairing but consistent with S + / - , S + / + mechanisms. This is the first observation of the impurity-induced node lifting expected in anisotropic s-wave superconductors

Passivation of predominantly crystalline semiconductor devices (12) is provided for by a surface coating (21) of sputtered hydrogenated amorphous semiconductor material. Passivation of a radiation detector germanium diode, for example, is realized by sputtering a coating (21) of amorphous germanium onto the etched and quenched diode surface (11) in a low pressure atmosphere of hydrogen and argon. Unlike prior germanium diode semiconductor devices (12), which must be maintained in vacuum at cryogenic temperatures to avoid deterioration, a diode processed in the described manner may be stored in air at room temperature or otherwise exposed to a variety of environmental conditions. The coating (21) compensates for pre-existing undesirable surface states as well as protecting the semiconductor device (12) against future impregnation with impurities.

As one of the simplest systems for realizing Majorana fermions, the topological superconductor plays an important role in both condensed matter physics and quantum computations. Based on ab initio calculations and the analysis of an effective 8-band model with superconducting pairing, we demonstrate that the three-dimensional extended s-wave Fe-based superconductors such as Fe_{1+y}Se_{0.5}Te_{0.5} have a metallic topologically nontrivial band structure, and exhibit a normal-topological-normal superconductivity phase transition on the (001) surface by tuning the bulk carrier doping level. In the topological superconductivity (TSC) phase, a Majorana zero mode is trapped at the end of a magnetic vortex line. We further show that the surface TSC phase only exists up to a certain bulk pairing gap, and there is a normal-topological phase transition driven by the temperature, which has not been discussed before. These results pave an effective way to realize the TSC and Majorana fermions in a large class of superconductors. PMID:27494494

Gas atomization reaction synthesis was employed as a simplified method for processing oxide dispersion forming precursor Fe-based powders (e.g., Fe–Cr–Y–Hf). During this process a reactive atomization gas (i.e., Ar–O2) was used to oxidize the powder surfaces during primary break-up and rapid solidification of the molten alloy. This resulted in envelopment of the powders by an ultra-thin (t < 50 nm) metastable Cr-enriched oxide shell that was used as a vehicle to transport oxygen into the consolidated microstructure. Subsequent elevated temperature heat treatment promoted thermodynamically driven oxygen exchange reactions between trapped films of Cr-enriched oxide and internal (Y, Hf)-enriched intermetallic precipitates, resulting in highly stable nano-metric mixed oxide dispersoids (i.e., Y–Hf–O) that were identified with X-ray diffraction. Transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography results also revealed that the size and distribution of the dispersoids were found to depend strongly on the original rapidly solidified microstructure. To exploit this, several oxide dispersion strengthened microstructures were engineered from different powder particle size ranges, illustrating microstructural control as a function of particle solidification rate. Additionally, preliminary thermal–mechanical processing was used to develop a fine scale dislocation substructure for ultimate strengthening of the alloy.

We analyze antiferromagnetism and superconductivity within the renormalization group(RG) technique in novel Fe-based superconductors using the itinerant model of small electron and hole pockets near (0; 0) and (π,π), respectively, originating from the two strongly hybridized orbitals. We find that, for this model, the bare interactions in the Cooper channel are repulsive, and superconductivity does not occur at the mean-field level. However, under RG the effective interaction in the superconducting channel changes sign and becomes attractive. Furthermore, the effective interactions in antiferromagnetic and superconducting channels logarithmically flow towards the same absolute values at low energies, i.e., both must be treated on equal footings. The magnetic instability comes first for equal sizes of the two pockets, but looses to superconductivity upon doping. The superconducting gap has no nodes, but changes sign between the two Fermi surfaces (extended s-wave symmetry). We argue that the T dependencies of the spin susceptibility and NMR relaxation rate for such state are exponential only at very low T, and can be well fitted by power-laws over a wide T range below Tc. We further show that below Tc excitonic resonance appears in the spin excitations spectrum. [4pt] [1] M. Korshunov, and I. Eremin, Phys. Rev. B 78, 140509(R) (2008) [0pt] [2] A.V. Chubukov, D. Efremov, I. Eremin, Phys. Rev. B 78, 134512 (2008). [0pt] [3] M.M. Korshunov and I. Eremin, Europhys. Lett. 83, 67003 (2008).

Iron-based amorphous alloys possess enhanced hardness and are highly resistant to corrosion, which make them desirable for wear applications in corrosive environments. It was of interest to examine the behavior of amorphous alloys during anodic polarization in concentrated salt solutions and in the salt-fog testing. Results from the testing of one amorphous material (SAM2X5) both in ribbon form and as an applied coating are reported here. Cyclic polarization tests were performed on SAM2X5 ribbon as well as on other nuclear engineering materials. SAM2X5 showed the highest resistance to localized corrosion in 5 M CaCl{sub 2} solution at 105 C. Salt fog tests of 316L SS and Alloy 22 coupons coated with amorphous SAM2X5 powder showed resistance to rusting. Partial devitrification may be responsible for isolated pinpoint rust spots in some coatings.

Amorphous alloys identified as SAM2X5 (Fe{sub 49.7}Cr{sub 17.7}Mn{sub 1.9}Mo{sub 7.4}W{sub 1.6}B{sub 15.2}C{sub 3.8}Si{sub 2.4}) and SAM1651 (Fe{sub 48}Mo{sub 14}Cr{sub 15}Y{sub 2}C{sub 15}B{sub 6}) have been produced as melt-spun ribbons, drop-cast ingots and thermal-spray coatings. Chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo) and tungsten (W) additions provided corrosion resistance, while boron (B) enabled glass formation. Earlier electrochemical studies of melt-spun ribbons and ingots of these amorphous alloys demonstrated outstanding passive film stability. More recently thermal-spray coatings of these amorphous alloys have been made and subjected to long-term salt-fog and immersion tests. Good corrosion resistance has been observed during salt-fog testing. Corrosion rates were measured in situ with linear polarization, while simultaneously monitoring the open-circuit corrosion potentials. Reasonably good performance was observed. The sensitivity of these measurements to electrolyte composition and temperature was determined. The high boron content of SAM2X5 also made it an effective neutron absorber, and suitable for criticality control applications.

Selected soft magnetic amorphous alloys Fe80B20, Fe70Nb10B20 and Fe62Nb8B30 were produced by the melt-spinning and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS), Reverse Monte Carlo modeling (RMC) and relative magnetic permeability measurements. The Mössbauer spectroscopy allowed to study the local environments of the Fe-centered atoms in the amorphous structure of binary and ternary glassy alloys. The MS provided also information about the changes in the amorphous structure due to the modification of chemical composition by various boron and niobium content. The RMC simulation based on the structure factors determined by synchrotron XRD measurements was also used in modeling of the atomic arrangements and short-range order in Fe-based model alloys. Addition of boron and niobium in the ternary model alloys affected the disorder in as-cast state and also influenced on the number of nearest neighbor Fe-Fe atoms, consequently. The distributions of Fe- and B-centered coordination numbers showed that N=10, 9 and 8 are dominated around Fe atoms and N=9, 8 and 7 had the largest population around B atoms in the examined amorphous alloys. Moreover, the relationship between the content of the alloying elements, the local atomic ordering and the magnetic permeability (magnetic after-effects) was mentioned.

Bulk metallic glasses have interesting combination of physical, chemical, mechanical, and magnetic properties which make them attractive for a variety of applications. Consequently there has been a lot of interest in understanding the structure and properties of these materials. More varied applications can be sought if one understands the reasons for glass formation and the methods to control them. The glass-forming ability (GFA) of alloys can be substantially increased by a proper selection of alloying elements and the chemical composition of the alloy. High GFA will enable in obtaining large section thickness of amorphous alloys. Ability to produce glassy alloys in larger section thicknesses enables exploitation of these advanced materials for a variety of different applications. The technique of mechanical alloying (MA) is a powerful non-equilibrium processing technique and is known to produce glassy (or amorphous) alloys in several alloy systems. Metallic amorphous alloys have been produced by MA starting from either blended elemental metal powders or pre-alloyed powders. Subsequently, these amorphous alloy powders could be consolidated to full density in the temperature range between the glass transition and crystallization temperatures, where the amorphous phase has a very low viscosity. This Dissertation focuses on identifying the various Fe-based multicomponent alloy systems that can be amorphized using the MA technique, studying the GFA of alloys with emphasis on improving it, and also on analyzing the effect of extended milling time on the constitution of the amorphous alloy powder produced at earlier times. The Dissertation contains seven chapters, where the lead chapter deals with the background, history and introduction to bulk metallic glasses. The following four chapters are the published/to be published work, where the criterion for predicting glass formation, effect of Niobium addition on glass-forming ability (GFA), lattice contraction on

Multilayered coatings were made by physical vapor deposition (PVD) of a perfluorinated amorphous polymer, Teflon AF2400, and with other optical materials. A high reflector for 1064 nm light was made with ZnS and AF2400. An all-organic 1064 nm reflector was made from AF2400 and polyethylene. Oxide (HfO{sub 2} and SiO{sub 2}) compatibility with AF2400 was also tested. The multilayer morphologies were influenced by coating stress and unintentional temperature rises from the PVD process. Analysis by liquid nuclear magnetic resonance of the thin films showed slight compositional variations between the coating and starting materials of perfluorinated amorphous polymers.

Superhydrophobic amorphous carbon/carbon nanotube nanocomposites are fabricated by plasma immersion ion implantation with carbon nanotube forests as a template. The microstructure of the fabricated nanocomposites shows arrays of carbon nanotubes capped with amorphous carbon nanoparticles. Contact angle measurements show that both advancing and receding angles close to 180° can be achieved on the nanocomposites. The fabrication here does not require patterning of carbon nanotubes or deposition of conformal coatings with low surface energy, which are usually involved in conventional approaches for superhydrophobic surfaces. The relationship between the observed superhydrophobicity and the unique microstructure of the nanocomposites is discussed.

The microwave properties of polymer-based glass fiber reinforced composites containing amorphous Fe77Si10B10C3 microwires in parallel and orthogonal arrays and their dependencies on external magnetic field have been investigated. Double-negative-index characteristics are confirmed for both wire arrays through the observed transmission window in the 1-7 GHz frequency band. The microwave interaction within inter-wire range is responsible for a multi-peak feature observed in the absorption spectra of the parallel wire array composite when the wire spacing is below 7 mm. We introduce the term of "effective diameter" associated with the microwire domain structure to remedy the discrepancy between the computed and experimentally observed plasma frequency.

An iron-based amorphous metal with good corrosion resistance and a high absorption cross-section for thermal neutrons has been developed and is reported here. This amorphous alloy has the approximate formula Fe{sub 49.7}Cr{sub 17.7}Mn{sub 1.9}Mo{sub 7.4}W{sub 1.6}B{sub 15.2}C{sub 3.8}Si{sub 2.4} and is known as SAM2X5. Chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo) and tungsten (W) were added to provide corrosion resistance, while boron (B) was added to promote glass formation and the absorption of thermal neutrons. Since this amorphous metal has a higher boron content than conventional borated stainless steels, it provides the nuclear engineer with design advantages for criticality control structures with enhanced safety. While melt-spun ribbons with limited practical applications were initially produced, large quantities (several tons) of gas atomized powder have now been produced on an industrial scale, and applied as thermal-spray coatings on prototypical half-scale spent nuclear fuel containers and neutron-absorbing baskets. These prototypes and other SAM2X5 samples have undergone a variety of corrosion testing, including both salt-fog and long-term immersion testing. Modes and rates of corrosion have been determined in various relevant environments, and are reported here. While these coatings have less corrosion resistance than melt-spun ribbons and optimized coatings produced in the laboratory, substantial corrosion resistance has been achieved.

We have carried out extensive molecular dynamics simulations for the pressure induced amorphization of quartz by means of a classical force-field model. In agreement with earlier simulations, we find that a phase transition occurs within the experimental pressure range of the amorphization. However, in contrast to the interpretation of previous simulations, we demonstrate that the new phase is [ital not] amorphous, since the correlation functions for the equilibrated structure can be shown to be consistent with those of a crystalline phase. In addition, two transformations to ordered structures are found to occur sequentially during the simulations. The first transformation is likely to be related to the recently discovered transition of quartz to an intermediate crystalline phase before its amorphization. The second transformation, instead, yields a compact, octahedrally coordinated Si sublattice. The latter may be an artifact of the pair-potential simulation. [copyright] 1994 American Institute of Physics

Background Inhalation of crystalline silica is known to cause an inflammatory reaction and chronic exposure leads to lung fibrosis and can progress into the disease, silicosis. Cultured macrophages bind crystalline silica particles, phagocytose them, and rapidly undergo apoptotic and necrotic death. The mechanism by which particles are bound and internalized and the reason particles are toxic is unclear. Amorphous silica has been considered to be a less toxic form, but this view is controversial. We compared the uptake and toxicity of amorphous silica to crystalline silica. Methodology/Principal Findings Amorphous silica particles are phagocytosed by macrophage cells and a single internalized particle is capable of killing a cell. Fluorescent dextran is released from endo-lysosomes within two hours after silica treatment and Caspase-3 activation occurs within 4 hours. Interestingly, toxicity is specific to macrophage cell lines. Other cell types are resistant to silica particle toxicity even though they internalize the particles. The large and uniform size of the spherical, amorphous silica particles allowed us to monitor them during the uptake process. In mCherry-actin transfected macrophages, actin rings began to form 1-3 minutes after silica binding and the actin coat disassembled rapidly following particle internalization. Pre-loading cells with fluorescent dextran allowed us to visualize the fusion of phagosomes with endosomes during internalization. These markers provided two new ways to visualize and quantify particle internalization. At 37°C the rate of amorphous silica internalization was very rapid regardless of particle coating. However, at room temperature, opsonized silica is internalized much faster than non-opsonized silica. Conclusions/Significance Our results indicate that amorphous and crystalline silica are both phagocytosed and both toxic to mouse alveolar macrophage (MH-S) cells. The pathway leading to apoptosis appears to be similar in both

Compositions and methods for obtaining nanocrystal dispersed amorphous alloys are described. A composition includes an amorphous matrix forming element (e.g., Al or Fe); at least one transition metal element; and at least one crystallizing agent that is insoluble in the resulting amorphous matrix. During devitrification, the crystallizing agent causes the formation of a high density nanocrystal dispersion. The compositions and methods provide advantages in that materials with superior properties are provided.

a significant advance in producing wear-resistant coatings has been achieved by scientists at the US Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) (Albuquerque, New Mexico) through the discovery of a stress-free amorphous (noncrystalline) diamond thin film material that has many of the same properties as its crystalline diamond cousin. The stress-free amorphous diamond coating is harder than any other known coating--with the exception of crystalline diamond. Crystalline diamond films are difficult to grow, and even harder to shape into parts. Thin films of amorphous diamond offer some flexibility, but are associated with problems like warping.

A new series of Fe80-x-yCrxMoyP13C7 (x = 10, y = 10; x = 20, y = 5; x = 2 0, y = 10, all in at.%) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) with the maximum diameter of 6mm have been developed for biomedical implant application by the combination method of fluxing treatment and J-quenching technique. The corrosion performance of the present Fe-based BMGs is investigated in both Hank's solution (pH = 7.4) and artificial saliva solution (pH = 6.3) at 37 °C by electrochemical measurements. The result indicates that the corrosion resistance of the present Fe-based BMGs in the above two simulated body solutions is much better than that of biomedical 316 L stainless steel (316 L SS), and approaching that of Ti6Al4V biomedical alloy (TC4). The concentrations of Fe, Ni and Cr ions released into the Hank's solution and artificial saliva solution from the present Fe-based BMGs after potentiodynamic polarization are significant lower than that released from 316 L SS. The biocompatibility of the present Fe-based BMGs is evaluated through the in vitro test of NIH3T3 cells culture in the present Fe-based BMG extraction media for 1, 3 and 5 days. The result indicates that the present Fe-based BMGs exhibit no cytotoxicity to NIH3T3 cells. And the test result of the cell adhesion and growth on the surface of the samples indicates that the present Fe-based BMGs exhibit the better cell viability compared with 316 L SS and TC4 biomedical alloys. The present Fe-based BMGs, especially Fe55Cr20Mo5P13C7 BMG, exhibit good glass formation ability, the high corrosion resistance and excellent biocompatibility, suggesting their promising potential as biomaterials. PMID:25953563

Multilayered coatings were made by physical vapor deposition (PVD) of a perfluorinated amorphous polymer, Teflon AF2400, together with other optical materials. A high reflector at 1064 run was made with ZnS and AF2400. An all-organic 1064-nm reflector was made from AF2400 and polyethylene. Oxide (HfO{sub 2}, SiO{sub 2}) compatibility was also tested. Each multilayer system adhered to itself. The multilayers were influenced by coating stress and unintentional temperature rises during PVD deposition.

An iron-based amorphous metal, Fe{sub 49.7}Cr{sub 17.7}Mn{sub 1.9}Mo{sub 7.4}W{sub 1.6}B{sub 15.2}C{sub 3.8}Si{sub 2.4} (SAM2X5), with very good corrosion resistance was developed. This material was produced as a melt-spun ribbon, as well as gas atomized powder and a thermal-spray coating. Chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo) and tungsten (W) provided corrosion resistance, and boron (B) enabled glass formation. The high boron content of this particular amorphous metal made it an effective neutron absorber, and suitable for criticality control applications. Earlier studies have shown that ingots and melt-spun ribbons of these materials have good passive film stability in these environments. Thermal spray coatings of these materials have now been produced, and have undergone a variety of corrosion testing, including both atmospheric and long-term immersion testing. The modes and rates of corrosion have been determined in the various environments, and are reported here.

A new nanocrystalline Fe-based soft magnetic alloy is discussed here. Ingots of nanocrystalline alloys (FeCu)80ZrxSi20-x (x =5, 6, and 8) were prepared by arc melting. The ingots were remelted and cast into 25-30μm thick ribbons by a single roller melt spinning method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the as-spun ribbons to be amorphous. The structural evolution of these samples was studied by XRD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) after annealing at 450, 480, and 550°C. XRD shows the primary nanocrystallization product to be the α-Fe(Si ) phase. The grain size was observed by TEM to be ˜10nm after annealing at 480°C for 1h and 14nm after 550°C for 1h. ac soft magnetic properties were measured using a Walker AMH 401 ac permeameter. The core loss at an exciting frequency f =100kHz and maximum induction Bm=1kG was determined to be less than 19W/kg.

The mechanism of nucleation and propagation of a single-domain wall is studied as a function of temperature in bistable Fe-basedamorphous microwire with a unique simple domain structure. An extended nucleation-propagation model is proposed with a negative nucleation field. From quantitative analysis of the propagating wall characteristics, a new damping is theoretically introduced as arising from structural relaxation which dominates in the low temperature regime. PMID:15698124

A new range of applications in cold spraying is expected for bulk metallic glass (BMG) coatings. For retaining amorphous structures in cast multi-component BMG parts, typically high purity raw material must be used. The present investigation explores an alternative approach, where cold spraying is used to deposit a technical-grade binary amorphous alloy. This approach is shown to be potentially cost-effective and suitable for rapid manufacturing. For this purpose, amorphous Cu50Zr50 was chosen as a model alloy system, and cold spraying was performed using nitrogen as process gas. By a systematic variation of the spray parameter sets, the critical velocities for coating formation were determined experimentally. Based on the current models of bonding of amorphous Cu50Zr50 powder in cold spraying, a new, more comprehensive concept of bonding and rebound is presented, which also considers the presence of liquefied interfaces and quenching rates for resolidification. Results concerning impact morphologies and coating formation demonstrate that under suitable choice of spray conditions, well-adhering coatings with amorphous structure of the Cu50Zr50 powders can be obtained by cold spraying.

A transmissive metallic contact for amorphous silicon semiconductors includes a thin layer of metal, such as aluminum or other low work function metal, coated on the amorphous silicon with an antireflective layer coated on the metal. A transparent substrate, such as glass, is positioned on the light reflective layer. The metallic layer is preferably thin enough to transmit at least 50% of light incident thereon, yet thick enough to conduct electricity. The antireflection layer is preferably a transparent material that has a refractive index in the range of 1.8 to 2.2 and is approximately 550A to 600A thick.

Synthesis → structure → properties relationships have been studied and compared for new multicomponent amorphous alloy systems and amorphous precursors to state of the art magnetic nanocomposite alloys. The research was aimed at comparing and contrasting the crystallization mechanisms (in both bulk and thin film form) in these systems as well as the technical magnetic and mechanical properties deriving from the as-cast and crystallized microstructures. The ultimate goal was to synthesize new alloys with properties which exceeded those of state of the art materials at higher operational frequencies and temperatures of operation. Fe-based multicomponent amorphous alloys with nominal compositions of Fe82-xCoxNb3Ta1Mo1B 13 (x = 0, 6, 12, 18, 20.5, 24, 30, 36, and 41) have been evaluated for soft magnetic applications. Preferential Co partitioning into the amorphous matrix during primary crystallization is inferred from thermomagnetic measurements. The alloy with x = 20.5 composition is shown to be the best candidate for soft magnetic applications. In this alloy system, precipitation of nonmagnetic (FeCo)23B6 phase is found to be responsible for an abrupt decrease in magnetization at secondary crystallization temperature. However, a different mechanism of secondary crystallization is demonstrated for the alloy with x = 20.5 composition. The core loss of the alloy with x = 20.5 is found to exceed the commercial Fe-basedamorphous magnetic cores in high frequency (higher than 300 kHz) condition and predicted to be comparable with FINEMET nanocomposite cores in high magnetic induction condition (larger than 12 kG). Nanocrystallization kinetics of NANONPERM thin films with various thicknesses have been investigated. Thickness-dependent crystallization kinetics were observed from thermomagnetic and time-dependent magnetization measurements. Formation of crystallization layer at the interface between Si substrate and NANOPERM layer affects the crystallization during a

The structural aspects of amorphous silicon and the role of hydrogen in this structure are reviewed with emphasis on ion implantation studies. In amorphous silicon produced by Si ion implantation of crystalline silicon, the material reconstructs into a metastable amorphous structure which has optical and electrical properties qualitatively similar to the corresponding properties in high-purity evaporated amorphous silicon. Hydrogen studies further indicate that these structures will accomodate less than or equal to 5 at.% hydrogen and this hydrogen is bonded predominantly in a monohydride (SiH/sub 1/) site. Larger hydrogen concentrations than this can be achieved under certain conditions, but the excess hydrogen may be attributed to defects and voids in the material. Similarly, glow discharge or sputter deposited amorphous silicon has more desirable electrical and optical properties when the material is prepared with low hydrogen concentration and monohydride bonding. Results of structural studies and hydrogen incorporation in amorphous silicon were discussed relative to the different models proposed for amorphous silicon.

In view of alkaline water electrolysis, the activities for the hydrogen evolution reaction of nanocrystalline Fe-based electrode materials were investigated and compared with the activities of polycrystalline Fe and Ni. Electrochemical methods were used to elucidate the overpotential value, the charge transfer resistance and the double layer capacity. Structural properties of the electrode surface were determined with SEM, XRD and XPS analyses. Thus, a correlation between electrochemical and structural parameters was found. In this context, we report on a cyclic voltammetric activation procedure which causes a significant increase of the surface area of Fe-based electrodes leading to a boost in effective activity of the activated electrodes. It was found that the intrinsic activity of activated Fe-based electrodes is very high due to the formation of a nanocrystalline surface layer. In contrast, the activation procedure influences only the intrinsic activity of the Ni electrodes without the formation of a porous surface layer.

This paper provides a general overview of advanced scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) techniques used for characterization of irradiated BCC Fe-based alloys. Advanced STEM methods provide the high-resolution imaging and chemical analysis necessary to understand the irradiation response of BCC Fe-based alloys. The use of STEM with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) for measurement of radiation-induced segregation (RIS) is described, with an illustrated example of RIS in proton- and self-ion irradiated T91. Aberration-corrected STEM-EDX for nanocluster/nanoparticle imaging and chemical analysis is also discussed, and examples are provided from ion-irradiated oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys. In conclusion, STEM techniques for void, cavity, and dislocation loop imaging are described, with examples from various BCC Fe-based alloys.

We investigate the emergence of the nematic orbital order (nxz ≠nyz) in various Fe-based superconductors based on the first-principles Hubbard models. In Fe-based superconductors, spin-fluctuation-mediated large orbital-fluctuations appear because of the strong orbital-spin interplay due to the many-body effect. This effect is very significant in FeSe due to the small ratio between the Hund's and Coulomb interactions (J / U) and large dxz ,dyz -orbitals weight at the Fermi level. For this reason, in FeSe, orbital order is established by weak spin fluctuations, so the magnetism is absent. In contrast, in LaFeAsO, the magnetic order appears just below the structural transition temperature both experimentally and theoretically. Thus, the orbital-spin interplay is the key ingredient of the wide variety of the normal-state phase diagram in Fe-based superconductors

This paper provides a general overview of advanced scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) techniques used for characterization of irradiated BCC Fe-based alloys. Advanced STEM methods provide the high-resolution imaging and chemical analysis necessary to understand the irradiation response of BCC Fe-based alloys. The use of STEM with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) for measurement of radiation-induced segregation (RIS) is described, with an illustrated example of RIS in proton- and self-ion irradiated T91. Aberration-corrected STEM-EDX for nanocluster/nanoparticle imaging and chemical analysis is also discussed, and examples are provided from ion-irradiated oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys. In conclusion, STEM techniques for void,more » cavity, and dislocation loop imaging are described, with examples from various BCC Fe-based alloys.« less

Ni-Fe-base superalloys due to their good manufacturability and low cost are the proper candidates for boiler materials in advanced power plants. The major concerns with Ni-Fe-base superalloys are the insufficient mechanical properties at elevated temperatures. In this paper, tensile properties, deformation, and fracture characteristics of a Ni-Fe-base superalloy primarily strengthened by γ' precipitates have been investigated from room temperature to 1073 K (800 °C). The results showed a gradual decrease in the strength up to about 973 K (700 °C) followed by a rapid drop above this temperature and a ductility minimum at around 973 K (700 °C). The fracture surfaces were studied using scanning electron microscopy and the deformation mechanisms were determined by the observation of deformed microstructures using transmission electron microscopy. An attempt has been made to correlate the tensile properties and fracture characteristics at different temperatures with the observed deformation mechanisms.

Fe-basedamorphous magnetic alloy powders with a composition of (Fe0.76Si0.09B0.1P0.05)99Nb1 were first prepared by water atomization, and then amorphous magnetic powder cores were produced from a mixture of the amorphous alloy powders with diameters of below 75 μm and different volume of insulation and bonding materials by mold compacting with a compact pressure of 2200 MPa at room temperature. The amorphous magnetic cores exhibit superior DC-bias properties and excellent soft magnetic properties after appropriate heating treatment. The DC-bias properties of the present amorphous magnetic cores just decrease 15% as the external field increases to 100 Oe. Meanwhile, it also exhibits a high permeability of 56 at 1 MHz and a low core loss of 451 W/kg at Bm=0.1 T and f=100 kHz. The present Fe-basedamorphous magnetic powder cores with superior DC-bias properties are a potential candidate for a variety of industrial applications.

Electronic nematicity is ubiquitous in Fe-based superconductors, but what the primary nematic order is and how the various nematic phenomena correlate with each other are still elusive. In this manuscript we study the physical consequence of the orbital nematic order on the spin correlations. We find that the orbital nematic order can drive a significant spin nematicity and can enhance the integrated intensity of the spin fluctuations. Our study shows that the orbital nematic order has strong effect on the spin correlations and it can not be taken as an unimportant secondary effect of the nematic state in Fe-based superconductors.

In this study, spray drying from aqueous solutions, using the surface-active agent sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) as a solubilizer, was explored as a production method for co-amorphous simvastatin-lysine (SVS-LYS) at 1:1 molar mixtures, which previously have been observed to form a co-amorphous mixture upon ball milling. In addition, a spray-dried formulation of SVS without LYS was prepared. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) revealed that SLS coated the SVS and SVS-LYS particles upon spray drying. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that in the spray-dried formulations the remaining crystallinity originated from SLS only. The best dissolution properties and a "spring and parachute" effect were found for SVS spray-dried from a 5% SLS solution without LYS. Despite the presence of at least partially crystalline SLS in the mixtures, all the studied formulations were able to significantly extend the stability of amorphous SVS compared to previous co-amorphous formulations of SVS. The best stability (at least 12 months in dry conditions) was observed when SLS was spray-dried with SVS (and LYS). In conclusion, spray drying of SVS and LYS from aqueous surfactant solutions was able to produce formulations with improved physical stability for amorphous SVS. PMID:26633346

The crystallization kinetics of FeSiCr amorphous alloy, characterized by the crystallization activation energy, Avrami exponent and frequency factor, was studied by non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) measurements. The crystallization activation energy and frequency factor of amorphous alloy calculated from Augis-Bennett model were 476 kJ/mol and 5.5×1018 s-1, respectively. The Avrami exponent n was calculated to be 2.2 from the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (JMA) equation. Toroid-shaped Fe-baseamorphous powder cores were prepared from the commercial FeSiCr amorphous alloy powder and subsequent cold pressing using binder and insulation. The characteristics of FeSiCr amorphous alloy powder and the effects of compaction pressure and insulation content on the magnetic properties, i.e., effective permeability μe, quality factor Q and DC-bias properties of FeSiCr amorphous alloy powder cores, were investigated. The FeSiCr amorphous alloy powder cores exhibit a high value of quality factor and a stable permeability in the frequency range up to 1 MHz, showing superior DC-bias properties with a "percent permeability" of more than 82% at H=100 Oe.

A reforming pack chromization with rolling pretreatment process is utilized to develop inexpensive and high-performance Fe-based metal bipolar plates (SS 420, SS 430, and SS 316 stainless steels) for PEMFC systems. Rolling process is previously performed to reduce the chromizing temperature and generate a coating possessing excellent conductivity and corrosion resistance on the steels during chromization. The power efficiencies of rolled-chromized and simple chromized bipolar plates are compared with graphite bipolar plates employed in PEMFCs. The results show that the rolled-chromized bipolar plates have a corrosion current (I corr) of 7.87 × 10 -8 A cm -2 and an interfacial contact resistance of 9.7 mΩ cm 2. Moreover, the power density of the single cell assembled with rolled-chromized bipolar plates is 0.46 W cm -2, which is very close to that of graphite (0.50 W cm -2), in the tested conditions of this study.

Metastable amorphous or fine crystalline materials are formed by solid state reactions by diffusion of a metallic component into a solid compound or by diffusion of a gas into an intermetallic compound. The invention can be practiced on layers of metals deposited on an amorphous substrate or by intermixing powders with nucleating seed granules. All that is required is that the diffusion of the first component into the second component be much faster than the self-diffusion of the first component. The method is practiced at a temperature below the temperature at which the amorphous phase transforms into one or more crystalline phases and near or below the temperature at which the ratio of the rate of diffusion of the first component to the rate of self-diffusion is at least 10.sup.4. This anomalous diffusion criteria is found in many binary, tertiary and higher ordered systems of alloys and appears to be found in all alloy systems that form amorphous materials by rapid quenching. The method of the invention can totally convert much larger dimensional materials to amorphous materials in practical periods of several hours or less.

A method of coating a substrate with an amorphous metal is described. A solid piece of the metal is bombarded with ions of an inert gas in the presence of a magnetic field to provide a vapor of the metal which is deposited on the substrate at a sufficiently low gas pressure so that there is formed on the substrate a thin, uniformly thick, essentially pinhole-free film of the metal.

We have studied the magnetic properties of a sample obtained by high-energy mechanical milling from a ferromagnetic FeSiB amorphous ribbon. The milled material mainly consists of a Fe-basedamorphous matrix embedding a minor fraction of α-Fe nanocrystallites (∼23%), and magnetization dynamics effects characterize the magnetic behavior. In particular, a magnetic transition occurs at T ∼ 50 K, from a low temperature disordered collective frozen state, similar to a spin-cluster-glass, to a high temperature regime where ferromagnetism predominates. The phenomenon has been ultimately ascribed to the local modification of the interatomic distance distribution in the amorphous matrix, induced by milling. PMID:21399327

Recent advancement in bulk metallic glasses, whose properties are usually superior to their crystalline counterparts, has stimulated great interest in fabricating bulk amorphous steels. While a great deal of effort has been devoted to this field, the fabrication of structural amorphous steels with large cross sections has remained an alchemist’s dream because of the limited glass-forming ability (GFA) of these materials. Here we report the discovery of structural amorphous steels that can be cast into glasses with large cross-section sizes using conventional drop-casting methods. These new steels showed interesting physical, magnetic, and mechanical properties, along with high thermal stability. The underlying mechanisms for the superior GFA of these materials are discussed.

This paper deals with amorphous structures in the laser cladding. A kind of Ni-Cr-Al alloy was sprayed on the substrate, which was ZL111 alloy, to be the coating material. The coating was clad by 5 kW transverse flow CO2 laser. The observation of SEM and TEM revealed that in the laser cladding there were amorphous structures which appeared two different morphologies: one was space curved flake-like, which existed in the white web-like structures; the other was fir leaf-like, which existed in the grain-like structures. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) was used to semi- quantitatively determine the content of the amorphous structures. A curve relation was obtained between the content of amorphous structures and the dimensionless laser cladding parameter C. The changes of the amorphous structures after annealing were also shown.

Occupational exposure to crystalline silica dust is associated with an increased risk for pulmonary diseases such as silicosis, tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the health effects of amorphous (non-crystalline) forms of silica. The major problem in the assessment of health effects of amorphous silica is its contamination with crystalline silica. This applies particularly to well-documented pneumoconiosis among diatomaceous earth workers. Intentionally manufactured synthetic amorphous silicas are without contamination of crystalline silica. These synthetic forms may be classified as (1) wet process silica, (2) pyrogenic ("thermal" or "fumed") silica, and (3) chemically or physically modified silica. According to the different physicochemical properties, the major classes of synthetic amorphous silica are used in a variety of products, e.g. as fillers in the rubber industry, in tyre compounds, as free-flow and anti-caking agents in powder materials, and as liquid carriers, particularly in the manufacture of animal feed and agrochemicals; other uses are found in toothpaste additives, paints, silicon rubber, insulation material, liquid systems in coatings, adhesives, printing inks, plastisol car undercoats, and cosmetics. Animal inhalation studies with intentionally manufactured synthetic amorphous silica showed at least partially reversible inflammation, granuloma formation and emphysema, but no progressive fibrosis of the lungs. Epidemiological studies do not support the hypothesis that amorphous silicas have any relevant potential to induce fibrosis in workers with high occupational exposure to these substances, although one study disclosed four cases with silicosis among subjects exposed to apparently non-contaminated amorphous silica. Since the data have been limited, a risk of chronic bronchitis, COPD or emphysema cannot be excluded. There is no study

A solar cell comprising a back electrical contact, amorphous silicon semiconductor base and junction layers and a top electrical contact includes in its manufacture the step of heat treating the physical junction between the base layer and junction layer to diffuse the dopant species at the physical junction into the base layer.

Many crystalline materials undergo a crystalline-to-amorphous (c-a) phase transition when subjected to energetic particle irradiation at low temperatures. By focusing on the mean-square static atomic displacement as a generic measure of chemical and topological disorder, we are led quite naturally to a generalized version of the Lindemann melting criterion as a conceptual framework for a unified thermodynamic approach to solid-state amorphizing transformations. In its simplest form, the generalized Lindemann criterion assumes that the sum of the static and dynamic mean-square atomic displacements is constant along the polymorphous melting curve so that c-a transformations can be understood simply as melting of a critically-disordered crystal at temperatures below the glass transition temperature where the supercooled liquid can persist indefinitely in a configurationally-frozen state. Evidence in support of the generalized Lindemann melting criterion for amorphization is provided by a large variety of experimental observations and by molecular dynamics simulations of heat-induced melting and of defect-induced amorphization of intermetallic compounds.

This invention is a photovoltaic device comprising an intrinsic or i-layer of amorphous silicon and where the photovoltaic device is more efficient at converting light energy to electric energy at high operating temperatures than at low operating temperatures. The photovoltaic devices of this invention are suitable for use in high temperature operating environments.

Novel amorphous Fe{sub 80}(Zr{sub x}Si{sub 20-x-y})Cu{sub y} boron-free alloys, in which boron was completely replaced by silicon as a glass forming element, have been prepared in the form of ribbons by a melt quenching technique. The X-ray diffraction and Moessbauer spectroscopy measurements revealed that the as-quenched ribbons with the composition of x = 6-10 at. % and y = 0, 1 at. % are predominantly amorphous. DSC measurements allowed the estimation of the crystallization temperatures of the amorphous alloys. The soft magnetic properties have been studied by the specialized rf-Moessbauer technique in which the spectra were recorded during an exposure of the samples to the rf field of 0 to 20 Oe at 61.8 MHz. Since the rf-collapse effect observed is very sensitive to the local anisotropy fields it was possible to evaluate the soft magnetic properties of amorphous alloys studied. The rf-Moessbauer studies were accompanied by the conventional measurements of the quasi-static hysteresis loops from which the magnetization and coercive fields were estimated. It was found that amorphous Fe-Zr-Si(Cu) alloys are magnetically very soft, comparable with those of the conventional amorphous B-containing Fe-based alloys.

MgB2 is an s-wave, phonon coupled, multiband superconductor that exhibits novel tunneling spectra including a subtle dip feature due to quasiparticle transfer between bands. Since this feature mimics the above-gap spectral dip feature observed in Fe-based superconductors, typically attributed to a strong coupling boson, it is worthwhile to consider whether quasiparticle transfer is relevant. We first show that the dip in MgB2 appears in the π-band, DOS (Δ = 2.4 meV) and is due to quasiparticle transfer to the σ-band with Δ = 7.2 meV. Reviewing the spectral dip in Fe-based superconductors, including new data on FeSe crystals, there are inconsistencies with quasiparticle transfer as the origin. The conclusion is that the spectral dip is more likely due to a boson, the resonance spin excitation, as found in cuprate superconductors.

We introduce an effective low-energy pairing model for Fe-based superconductors with s- and d-wave interaction components and a small number of input parameters and use it to study the doping evolution of the symmetry and the structure of the superconducting gap. We argue that the model describes the entire variety of pairing states found so far in the Fe-based superconductors and allows one to understand the mechanism of the attraction in s{sup {+-}} and d{sub x{sup 2}-y{sup 2}} channels, the competition between s- and d-wave solutions, and the origin of superconductivity in heavily doped systems, when only electron or only hole pockets are present.

Fe-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) have attracted great attention due to their unique magnetic and mechanical properties, but few applications have been materialized because of their brittleness at room temperature. Here we report a new Fe50Ni30P13C7 BMG which exhibits unprecedented compressive plasticity (>20%) at room temperature without final fracture. The mechanism of unprecedented plasticity for this new Fe-based BMG was also investigated. It was discovered that the ductile Fe50Ni30P13C7 BMG is composed of unique clusters mainly linked by less directional metal-metal bonds which are inclined to accommodate shear strain and absorbed energy in the front of crack tip. This conclusion was further verified by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy experiments of Fe80-xNixP13C7 (x = 0, 10, 20, 30) and Fe72-xNixB20Si4Nb4 (x = 0, 7.2, 14.4, 21.6, 28.8) glassy systems. The results also indicate a strong correlation between the p-d hybridization and plasticity, verifying that the transition from brittle to ductile induced by Ni addition is due to the change of bonding characteristics in atomic configurations. Thus, we can design the plasticity of Fe-based BMGs and open up a new possible pathway for manufacturing BMGs with high strength and plasticity.

A roll-to-roll process is used to deposit tandem amorphous silicon alloy solar cell onto thin (0.005 inch) stainless steel substrate. Using this solar cell material, the authors have designed and fabricated a photovoltaic (PV) module which can be integrated into building roofs. The module is fabricated by laminating the large area amorphous silicon on stainless steel solar cell material onto a 0.03 inch thick coated galvanized steel support plate. The module is then formed in such a way to allow installation as a batten and seam roofing system. This paper describes the fabrication and installation details of such PV systems.

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon radiation detector devices having enhanced signal are disclosed. Specifically provided are transversely oriented electrode layers and layered detector configurations of amorphous silicon, the structure of which allow high electric fields upon application of a bias thereby beneficially resulting in a reduction in noise from contact injection and an increase in signal including avalanche multiplication and gain of the signal produced by incoming high energy radiation. These enhanced radiation sensitive devices can be used as measuring and detection means for visible light, low energy photons and high energy ionizing particles such as electrons, x-rays, alpha particles, beta particles and gamma radiation. Particular utility of the device is disclosed for precision powder crystallography and biological identification. 13 figs.

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon radiation detector devices having enhanced signal are disclosed. Specifically provided are transversely oriented electrode layers and layered detector configurations of amorphous silicon, the structure of which allow high electric fields upon application of a bias thereby beneficially resulting in a reduction in noise from contact injection and an increase in signal including avalanche multiplication and gain of the signal produced by incoming high energy radiation. These enhanced radiation sensitive devices can be used as measuring and detection means for visible light, low energy photons and high energy ionizing particles such as electrons, x-rays, alpha particles, beta particles and gamma radiation. Particular utility of the device is disclosed for precision powder crystallography and biological identification.

Coated diltiazem hydrochloride-containing pellets were prepared using the solution layering technique. Unusual thermal behavior was detected with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and its source was determined using thermogravimetry (TG), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and hot-stage microscopy. The coated pellets contained diltiazem hydrochloride both in crystalline and amorphous form. Crystallization occurs on heat treatment causing an exothermic peak on the DSC curves that only appears in pellets containing both diltiazem hydrochloride and the coating. Results indicate that the amorphous fraction is situated in the coating layer. The migration of drugs into the coating layer can cause changes in its degree of crystallinity. Polymeric coating materials should therefore be investigated as possible crystallization inhibitors. PMID:23291037

At the beginning of this project, thin film amorphous alloy membranes were considered a nascent but promising new technology for industrial-scale hydrogen gas separations from coal- derived syngas. This project used a combination of theoretical modeling, advanced physical vapor deposition fabricating, and laboratory and gasifier testing to develop amorphous alloy membranes that had the potential to meet Department of Energy (DOE) targets in the testing strategies outlined in the NETL Membrane Test Protocol. The project is complete with Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®), Georgia Institute of Technology (GT), and Western Research Institute (WRI) having all operated independently and concurrently. GT studied the hydrogen transport properties of several amorphous alloys and found that ZrCu and ZrCuTi were the most promising candidates. GT also evaluated the hydrogen transport properties of V, Nb and Ta membranes coated with different transition-metal carbides (TMCs) (TM = Ti, Hf, Zr) catalytic layers by employing first-principles calculations together with statistical mechanics methods and determined that TiC was the most promising material to provide catalytic hydrogen dissociation. SwRI developed magnetron coating techniques to deposit a range of amorphous alloys onto both porous discs and tubular substrates. Unfortunately none of the amorphous alloys could be deposited without pinhole defects that undermined the selectivity of the membranes. WRI tested the thermal properties of the ZrCu and ZrNi alloys and found that under reducing environments the upper temperature limit of operation without recrystallization is ~250 °C. There were four publications generated from this project with two additional manuscripts in progress and six presentations were made at national and international technical conferences. The combination of the pinhole defects and the lack of high temperature stability make the theoretically identified most promising candidate amorphous alloys

We review the progress of nonmagnetic impurity doping studies on Fe-based superconductors. On the theoretical side, two highly promising candidates for the pairing symmetry order parameter, i.e. the multi-gap s ++ and s ± wave models, have been proposed but continuously debated. The debate arises because of the complex gap structure and exceptional magnetic and metallic behaviors of Fe-based superconductors, which may vary the influence of nonmagnetic defects in the chemical potential, impurity disorder, inter- and intra-band scattering strength, and electron localization. This creates difficulties in directly obtaining the most important information for understanding the symmetry order parameter. Experimentally, nonmagnetic impurity substitution studies have been widely carried out, which have provided very useful insights. We review herein the various nonmagnetic impurity doping experiments, including the controlled defects within the superconducting Fe2 X 2 planes through sample quality improvement, single impurity effects on the electronic state and local moment, the magnetic response of the Fe2 X 2 planes both on the macroscopic scale as the antiferromagnetic state and the local scale of moment, as well as the significant effect of modifying the transport properties. The experiments enable us to qualitatively analyze the nonmagnetic impurity effects on the superconducting state for many Fe-based superconductors. We also propose herein some strategies for nonmagnetic impurity doping study. As an important model for explaining the nonmagnetic impurity doping effects, the pair-breaking model is compared with various theoretical approaches via analysis of the pair-breaking rates of various Fe-superconductors.

Usually, a drug is loaded onto the metallic surface of a medical device by applying a polymer layer containing the drug. Unfortunately, polymer coatings on the metallic surface may exhibit numerous problems after implantation, such as late thrombosis, inflammation, and restenosis. Current research was conducted to investigate whether a suitable oxide layer can be used as a polymer-free platform for drug loading, especially for cardiovascular stents. The loading of heparin onto, as well as eluting of heparin from, the amorphous oxide film on the 316LVM stainless steel wire was confirmed by experimental studies using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and activated clotting time (ACT). Evidence shows that amorphous oxide can be an ideal substitute for the polymer coating of drug-loaded stents to minimize metallic corrosion, inflammation, late-thrombosis, and restenosis. PMID:15681077

Linear and non-linear ultrasonic damping, Young's modulus, and non-linear modulus defect have been studied in a Fe-based bulk metallic glass close to its Curie temperature, TC. We found that the acoustic technique used offers four different parameters which can be used to evaluate the TC. We show that ultrasonic measurements at a frequency of around 105 Hz detect both critical phenomena close to TC and intrinsic magnetomechanical damping in the ferromagnetic state. However, the values of absorption and Young's modulus anomaly observed over the critical range are quite low and do not permit reliable analysis of the critical exponents.

With the aim of achieving a better understanding of the nitriding process of iron-based components (steels), as applied in engineering practice, the theoretical background and experimental observations currently available on the crystallographic, morphological, and compositional properties of the nitride precipitates in nitrided model binary and ternary, ferritic Fe-based alloys are summarily presented. Thermodynamic and kinetic considerations are employed in order to highlight their importance for the nitriding reaction and the resulting properties of the nitrided zone, thereby providing a more fundamental understanding of the nitriding process.

Elastic neutron scattering simultaneously probes both the crystal structure and magnetic order in a material. Inelastic neutron scattering measures phonons and magnetic excitations. Here, we review the average composition, crystal structure and magnetic order in the 245 family of Fe-based superconductors and in related insulating compounds from neutron diffraction works. A three-dimensional phase-diagram summarizes various structural, magnetic and electronic properties as a function of the sample composition. A high pressure phase diagram for the superconductor is also provided. Magnetic excitations and the theoretic Heisenberg Hamiltonian are provided for the superconductor. Issues for future works are discussed. PMID:25427222

This paper presents an interferometric grating method used in measuring strain fields (ɛ z, ɛ θ, ɛ zθ) on a curved surface. This method can be used to determine the small and large strains with high sensitivity and has been applied successfully in Fe-base shape memory alloy (FSMA) structure design. In this study, five diffracted beam from the specimen surface produce the interferometric gratings through an optical system. Using image processing technique (fast Fourier transform with special interpolation and phase shifting technique), we have obtained the strain fields of outer surface of FSMA joint and contact pressure distribution on its inside surface which has mechanical deformation and transformation.

Elution of metals from Ni- and Fe-based alloy (i.e. Inconel 625 and SUS 316) under hydrothermal conditions was investigated. Results showed that metals could be eluted even in a short contact time. At subcritical conditions, a significant amount of Cr was extracted from SUS 316, while only traces of Ni, Fe, Mo, and Mn were eluted. In contrast, Ni was removed in significant amounts compared to Cr when Inconel 625 was tested. Several factors including temperature and contact time were found to affect elution behavior. The presence of air in the fluid even promoted elution under subcritical conditions. PMID:15120875

With the aim of achieving a better understanding of the nitriding process of iron-based components (steels), as applied in engineering practice, the theoretical background and experimental observations currently available on the crystallographic, morphological, and compositional properties of the nitride precipitates in nitrided model binary and ternary, ferritic Fe-based alloys are summarily presented. Thermodynamic and kinetic considerations are employed in order to highlight their importance for the nitriding reaction and the resulting properties of the nitrided zone, thereby providing a more fundamental understanding of the nitriding process.

Nanoimprinting promises low-cost fabrication of micro- and nano-devices by embossing features from a hard mould onto thermoplastic materials, typically polymers with low glass transition temperature. The success and proliferation of such methods critically rely on the manufacturing of robust and durable master moulds. Silicon-based moulds are brittle and have limited longevity. Metal moulds are stronger than semiconductors, but patterning of metals on the nanometre scale is limited by their finite grain size. Amorphous metals (metallic glasses) exhibit superior mechanical properties and are intrinsically free from grain size limitations. Here we demonstrate direct nanopatterning of metallic glasses by hot embossing, generating feature sizes as small as 13 nm. After subsequently crystallizing the as-formed metallic glass mould, we show that another amorphous sample of the same alloy can be formed on the crystallized mould. In addition, metallic glass replicas can also be used as moulds for polymers or other metallic glasses with lower softening temperatures. Using this 'spawning' process, we can massively replicate patterned surfaces through direct moulding without using conventional lithography. We anticipate that our findings will catalyse the development of micro- and nanoscale metallic glass applications that capitalize on the outstanding mechanical properties, microstructural homogeneity and isotropy, and ease of thermoplastic forming exhibited by these materials. PMID:19212407

Nematicity and magnetism are two key features in Fe-based superconductors, and their interplay is one of the most important unsolved problems. In FeSe, the magnetic order is absent below the structural transition temperature Tstr=90 K , in stark contrast to the fact that the magnetism emerges slightly below Tstr in other families. To understand such amazing material dependence, we investigate the spin-fluctuation-mediated orbital order (nx z≠ny z) by focusing on the orbital-spin interplay driven by the strong-coupling effect, called the vertex correction. This orbital-spin interplay is very strong in FeSe because of the small ratio between the Hund's and Coulomb interactions (J ¯/U ¯) and large dx z , dy z -orbital weight at the Fermi level. For this reason, in the FeSe model, the orbital order is established irrespective of the fact that the spin fluctuations are very weak, so the magnetism is absent below Tstr. In contrast, in the LaFeAsO model, the magnetic order appears just below Tstr both experimentally and theoretically. Thus, the orbital-spin interplay due to the vertex correction is the key ingredient in understanding the rich phase diagram with nematicity and magnetism in Fe-based superconductors in a unified way.

The determination of the most appropriate starting point for the theoretical description of Fe-based materials hosting high-temperature superconductivity remains among the most important unsolved problem in this relatively new field. Most of the work to date has focused on the pnictides, with LaFeAsO, BaFe(2)As(2) and LiFeAs being representative parent compounds of three families known as 1111, 122 and 111, respectively. This topical review examines recent progress in this area, with particular emphasis on the implication of experimental data which have provided evidence for the presence of electron itinerancy and the detection of local spin moments. In light of the results presented, the necessity of a theoretical framework contemplating the presence and the interplay between itinerant electrons and large spin moments is discussed. It is argued that the physics at the heart of the macroscopic properties of pnictides Fe-based high-temperature superconductors appears to be far more complex and interesting than initially predicted. PMID:25352180

A new Fe-based metallic glass with composition Fe76B12Si9Y3 (at. %) is found to have extraordinary degradation efficiency towards methyl orange (MO, C14H14N3SO3) in strong acidic and near neutral environments compared to crystalline zero-valent iron (ZVI) powders and other Fe-based metallic glasses. The influence of temperature (294-328 K) on the degradation reaction rate was measured using ball-milled metallic glass powders revealing a low thermal activation energy barrier of 22.6 kJ/mol. The excellent properties are mainly attributed to the heterogeneous structure consisting of local Fe-rich and Fe-poor atomic clusters, rather than the large specific surface and strong residual stress in the powders. The metallic glass powders can sustain almost unchanged degradation efficiency after 13 cycles at room temperature, while a drop in degradation efficiency with further cycles is attributed to visible surface oxidation. Triple quadrupole mass spectrometry analysis conducted during the reaction was used to elucidate the underlying degradation mechanism. The present findings may provide a new, highly efficient and low cost commercial method for azo dye wastewater treatment. PMID:26902824

A new Fe-based metallic glass with composition Fe76B12Si9Y3 (at. %) is found to have extraordinary degradation efficiency towards methyl orange (MO, C14H14N3SO3) in strong acidic and near neutral environments compared to crystalline zero-valent iron (ZVI) powders and other Fe-based metallic glasses. The influence of temperature (294-328 K) on the degradation reaction rate was measured using ball-milled metallic glass powders revealing a low thermal activation energy barrier of 22.6 kJ/mol. The excellent properties are mainly attributed to the heterogeneous structure consisting of local Fe-rich and Fe-poor atomic clusters, rather than the large specific surface and strong residual stress in the powders. The metallic glass powders can sustain almost unchanged degradation efficiency after 13 cycles at room temperature, while a drop in degradation efficiency with further cycles is attributed to visible surface oxidation. Triple quadrupole mass spectrometry analysis conducted during the reaction was used to elucidate the underlying degradation mechanism. The present findings may provide a new, highly efficient and low cost commercial method for azo dye wastewater treatment.

A new Fe-based metallic glass with composition Fe76B12Si9Y3 (at. %) is found to have extraordinary degradation efficiency towards methyl orange (MO, C14H14N3SO3) in strong acidic and near neutral environments compared to crystalline zero-valent iron (ZVI) powders and other Fe-based metallic glasses. The influence of temperature (294–328 K) on the degradation reaction rate was measured using ball-milled metallic glass powders revealing a low thermal activation energy barrier of 22.6 kJ/mol. The excellent properties are mainly attributed to the heterogeneous structure consisting of local Fe-rich and Fe-poor atomic clusters, rather than the large specific surface and strong residual stress in the powders. The metallic glass powders can sustain almost unchanged degradation efficiency after 13 cycles at room temperature, while a drop in degradation efficiency with further cycles is attributed to visible surface oxidation. Triple quadrupole mass spectrometry analysis conducted during the reaction was used to elucidate the underlying degradation mechanism. The present findings may provide a new, highly efficient and low cost commercial method for azo dye wastewater treatment. PMID:26902824

The determination of the most appropriate starting point for the theoretical description of Fe-based materials hosting high-temperature superconductivity remains among the most important unsolved problem in this relatively new field. Most of the work to date has focused on the pnictides, with LaFeAsO, BaFe2As2 and LiFeAs being representative parent compounds of three families known as 1111, 122 and 111, respectively. This topical review examines recent progress in this area, with particular emphasis on the implication of experimental data which have provided evidence for the presence of electron itinerancy and the detection of local spin moments. In light of the results presented, the necessity of a theoretical framework contemplating the presence and the interplay between itinerant electrons and large spin moments is discussed. It is argued that the physics at the heart of the macroscopic properties of pnictides Fe-based high-temperature superconductors appears to be far more complex and interesting than initially predicted.

Super-saturation of silica is common in fault fluids, due to pressure changes associated with fracture, fault slip, or temperature gradients in hydrothermal systems. These mechanisms lead to precipitation of amorphous silica, which will recrystallize to quartz under typical geologic conditions. These conditions may also promote the saturation of precious metals, such as gold, and the precipitation of nanoparticles. Previous experiments show that charged nanoparticles of gold can attach to the surface of amorphous silica nanoparticles. Thus, gold and silica may be transported as a colloid influencing mineralization textures during amorphous silica recrystallization to quartz. This may enrich quartz vein hosted gold deposits, but the instability of hydrous silica during subsequent deformation means that the microstructural record of precipitation of gold is lost. We investigate a recent, shallow auriferous hydrothermal system at Dixie Valley, Nevada to reveal the nano- to micro-scale relationships between gold and silica in fresh veins. Fault slip surfaces at Dixie Valley exhibit layers of amorphous silica with partial recrystallization to quartz. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) show amorphous silica can contain a few wt. % gold while areas recrystallized to quartz are barren. At the Jurassic Brucejack deposit in British Columbia, Canada we observe the cryptocrystalline quartz textures that may indicate recrystallization from amorphous silica within quartz-carbonate veins containing high grade gold. Comb quartz within syntaxial veins, vugs, and coating breccia clasts indicate structural dilation. Vein geometry is investigated to determine relative importance of fault slip in creating dilational sites. By comparing quartz-carbonate veins from the Dixie Valley to Brucejack, we can determine whether amorphous silica formed in different environments show similar potential to affect precious metal mineralization.

In situ nanocrystallization of amorphous alloys has recently emerged as a suitable technique for forming nanocomposites with improved mechanical properties. In this paper, we report on the spark plasma sintering (SPS) of Fe-basedamorphous alloys with in situ-formed nanocrystals of (Fe,Cr)23(C,B)6. The SPS was performed with a range of sintering temperatures (570-800°C) in and above the supercooled liquid region of the alloy. Significant enhancement in relative density was observed with increasing sintering temperature due to particle deformation and improved interparticle contacts. The formation of nanocrystalline particles and enhanced densification resulted in an increase in the hardness of the nanocomposites from about 1150-1375 VHN.

In situ nanocrystallization of amorphous alloys has recently emerged as a suitable technique for forming nanocomposites with improved mechanical properties. In this paper, we report on the spark plasma sintering (SPS) of Fe-basedamorphous alloys with in situ-formed nanocrystals of (Fe,Cr)23(C,B)6. The SPS was performed with a range of sintering temperatures (570-800°C) in and above the supercooled liquid region of the alloy. Significant enhancement in relative density was observed with increasing sintering temperature due to particle deformation and improved interparticle contacts. The formation of nanocrystalline particles and enhanced densification resulted in an increase in the hardness of the nanocomposites from about 1150-1375 VHN.

Corrosion-resistant amorphous metallic alloy films of Mo49Cr33B18 with a crystallization temperature of 590 C were deposited onto glass and quartz substrates by magnetron sputter-quench technique. The amorphous nature of the films was confirmed by their diffuse X-ray diffraction patterns. The deposited films are densely packed (zone T) and exhibit low stress and good adhesion to the substrate. Corrosion current of as-deposited coating of MoCrB amorphous metallic alloy is approximately three orders of magnitude less than the corrosion current of 304 stainless steel in 1N H2SO4 solution.

Corrosion costs the Department of Defense billions of dollars every year, with an immense quantity of material in various structures undergoing corrosion. For example, in addition to fluid and seawater piping, ballast tanks, and propulsions systems, approximately 345 million square feet of structure aboard naval ships and crafts require costly corrosion control measures. The use of advanced corrosion-resistant materials to prevent the continuous degradation of this massive surface area would be extremely beneficial. The potential advantages of amorphous metals have been recognized for some time [Latanison 1985]. Iron-based corrosion-resistant, amorphous-metal coatings under development may prove important for maritime applications [Farmer et al. 2005]. Such materials could also be used to coat the entire outer surface of containers for the transportation and long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel, or to protect welds and heat affected zones, thereby preventing exposure to environments that might cause stress corrosion cracking [Farmer et al. 1991, 2000a, 2000b]. In the future, it may be possible to substitute such high-performance iron-based materials for more-expensive nickel-based alloys, thereby enabling cost savings in a wide variety of industrial applications. It should be noted that thermal-spray ceramic coatings have also been investigated for such applications [Haslam et al. 2005]. This report focuses on the corrosion resistance of iron-based melt-spun amorphous metal ribbons. Melt-Spun ribbon is made by rapid solidification--a stream of molten metal is dropped onto a spinning copper wheel, a process that enables the manufacture of amorphous metals which are unable to be manufactured by conventional cold or hot rolling techniques. The study of melt-spun ribbon allows quick evaluation of amorphous metals corrosion resistance. The melt-spun ribbons included in this study are DAR40, SAM7, and SAM8, SAM1X series, and SAM2X series. The SAM1X series ribbons have

The focus of this study was to investigate the effect of processing on the surface crystallization of amorphous molecular dispersions and gain insight into the mechanisms underpinning this effect. The model systems, amorphous molecular dispersions of felodipine-EUDRAGIT® E PO, were processed both using spin coating (an ultra-fast solvent evaporation based method) and hot melt extrusion (HME) (a melting based method). Amorphous solid dispersions with drug loadings of 10-90% (w/w) were obtained by both processing methods. Samples were stored under 75% RH/room temperatures for up to 10months. Surface crystallization was observed shortly after preparation for the HME samples with high drug loadings (50-90%). Surface crystallization was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and imaging techniques (SEM, AFM and localized thermal analysis). Spin coated molecular dispersions showed significantly higher surface physical stability than hot melt extruded samples. For both systems, the progress of the surface crystal growth followed zero order kinetics on aging. Drug enrichment at the surfaces of HME samples on aging was observed, which may contribute to surface crystallization of amorphous molecular dispersions. In conclusion it was found the amorphous molecular dispersions prepared by spin coating had a significantly higher surface physical stability than the corresponding HME samples, which may be attributed to the increased process-related apparent drug-polymer solubility and reduced molecular mobility due to the quenching effect caused by the rapid solvent evaporation in spin coating. PMID:25111184

An amorphous silicon solar cell including an electrically conductive substrate, a layer of glow discharge deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon over said substrate and having regions of differing conductivity with at least one region of intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon. The layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon has opposed first and second major surfaces where the first major surface contacts the electrically conductive substrate and an electrode for electrically contacting the second major surface. The intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon region is deposited in a glow discharge with an atmosphere which includes not less than about 0.02 atom percent mono-atomic boron. An improved N.I.P. solar cell is disclosed using a BF.sub.3 doped intrinsic layer.

The passive film stability of several Fe-basedamorphous metal formulations have been found to be comparable to that of stainless steels and Ni-based Alloy C-22 (UNS No. N06022), based on electrochemical measurements of the passive film breakdown potential and general corrosion rates. Electrochemical studies of the passive film stability of SAM1651 are reported here. Chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo) and tungsten (W) provide corrosion resistance; boron (B) enables glass formation; and rare earths such as yttrium (Y) lower critical cooling rate (CCR). Yttrium-containing SAM1651, also known as SAM7 (Fe{sub 48.0}Cr{sub 15.0}Mo{sub 14.0}B{sub 6.0}C{sub 15.0}Y{sub 2.0}), has a critical cooling rate (CCR) of approximately 80 Kelvin per second, while yttrium-free SAM2X5 (Fe{sub 49.7}Cr{sub 17.7}Mn{sub 1.9}Mo{sub 7.4}W{sub 1.6}B{sub 15.2}C{sub 3.8}Si{sub 2.4}) has a higher critical cooling rate of approximately 600 Kelvin per second. SAM1651's low CCR enables it to be rendered as a completely amorphous material in practical materials processes. While the yttrium enables a low CCR to be achieved, it makes the material relatively difficult to atomize, due to increases in melt viscosity. Consequently, the powders have irregular shape, which makes pneumatic conveyance during thermal spray deposition difficult. The reference material, nickel-based Alloy C-22, is an outstanding corrosion-resistant engineering material. Even so, crevice corrosion has been observed with C-22 in hot sodium chloride environments without buffer or inhibitor. SAM1651 may also experience crevice corrosion under sufficiently harsh conditions. Both Alloy C-22 and Type 316L stainless lose their resistance to corrosion during thermal spraying, due to the formation of deleterious intermetallic phases which depletes the matrix of key alloy elements, whereas SAM1651 can be applied as coatings with the same corrosion resistance as a fully-dense completely amorphous melt-spun ribbon, provided that its amorphous

Amorphous Materials began in 2000 a joint program with Lockheed Martin in Orlando to develop molding technology required to produce infrared lenses from chalcogenide glasses. Preliminary results were reported at this SPIE meeting by Amy Graham1 in 2003. The program ended in 2004. Since that time, AMI has concentrated on improving results from two low softening glasses, Amtir 4&5. Both glasses have been fully characterized and antireflection coatings have been developed for each. Lenses have been molded from both glasses, from Amtir 6 and from C1 Core glass. A Zygo unit is used to evaluate the results of each molded lens as a guide to improving the molding process. Expansion into a larger building has provided room for five production molding units. Molded lens sizes have ranged from 8 mm to 136 mm in diameter. Recent results will be presented

This is the final report for a three-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The objective of this work was to develop the competency for the synthesis of novel bulk amorphous alloys. The authors researched their synthesis methods and alloy properties, including thermal stability, mechanical, and transport properties. The project also addressed the development of vanadium-spinel alloys for structural applications in hostile environments, the measurement of elastic constants and thermal expansion in single-crystal TiAl from 300 to 750 K, the measurement of elastic constants in gallium nitride, and a study of the shock-induced martensitic transformations in NiTi alloys.

The objective of this research is to create the architectural, algorithmic, and technological foundations for exploiting programmable materials. These are materials that incorporate vast numbers of programmable elements that react to each other and to their environment. Such materials can be fabricated economically, provided that the computing elements are amassed in bulk without arranging for precision interconnect and testing. In order to exploit programmable materials we must identify engineering principles for organizing and instructing myriad programmable entities to cooperate to robustly achieve pre-established goals, even though the individual entities are unreliable and interconnected in unknown, irregular, and time-varying ways. Progress in microfabrication and in bioengineering will make it possible to assemble such amorphous systems at almost no cost, provided that (1) the units need not all work correctly; (2) the units are identically programmed; and (3) there is no need to manufacture precise geometrical arrangements of the units or precise interconnections among them.

Diamond is the hardest material on Earth. Nevertheless, polishing diamond is possible with a process that has remained unaltered for centuries and is still used for jewellery and coatings: the diamond is pressed against a rotating disc with embedded diamond grit. When polishing polycrystalline diamond, surface topographies become non-uniform because wear rates depend on crystal orientations. This anisotropy is not fully understood and impedes diamond’s widespread use in applications that require planar polycrystalline films, ranging from cutting tools to confinement fusion. Here, we use molecular dynamics to show that polished diamond undergoes an sp3-sp2 order-disorder transition resulting in an amorphous adlayer with a growth rate that strongly depends on surface orientation and sliding direction, in excellent correlation with experimental wear rates. This anisotropy originates in mechanically steered dissociation of individual crystal bonds. Similarly to other planarization processes, the diamond surface is chemically activated by mechanical means. Final removal of the amorphous interlayer proceeds either mechanically or through etching by ambient oxygen.

Zn-Mn promoted Cu-Febased catalyst was synthesized by the co-precipitation method. Mixed alcohols synthesis from syngas was studied in a half-inch tubular reactor system after the catalyst was reduced. Zn-Mn promoted Cu-Febased catalyst was characterized by SEM-EDS, TEM, XRD, and XPS. The liquid phase products (alcohol phase and hydrocarbon phase) were analyzed by GC-MS and the gas phase products were analyzed by GC. The results showed that Zn-Mn promoted Cu-Febased catalyst had high catalytic activity and high alcohol selectivity. The maximal CO conversion rate was 72%, and the yield of alcohol and hydrocarbons were also very high. Cumore » (111) was the active site for mixed alcohols synthesis, Fe2C (101) was the active site for olefin and paraffin synthesis. The reaction mechanism of mixed alcohols synthesis from syngas over Zn-Mn promoted Cu-Febased catalyst was proposed. Here, Zn-Mn promoted Cu-Febased catalyst can be regarded as a potential candidate for catalytic conversion of biomass-derived syngas to mixed alcohols.« less

Zn-Mn promoted Cu-Febased catalyst was synthesized by the co-precipitation method. Mixed alcohols synthesis from syngas was studied in a half-inch tubular reactor system after the catalyst was reduced. Zn-Mn promoted Cu-Febased catalyst was characterized by SEM-EDS, TEM, XRD, and XPS. The liquid phase products (alcohol phase and hydrocarbon phase) were analyzed by GC-MS and the gas phase products were analyzed by GC. The results showed that Zn-Mn promoted Cu-Febased catalyst had high catalytic activity and high alcohol selectivity. The maximal CO conversion rate was 72%, and the yield of alcohol and hydrocarbons were also very high. Cu (111) was the active site for mixed alcohols synthesis, Fe2C (101) was the active site for olefin and paraffin synthesis. The reaction mechanism of mixed alcohols synthesis from syngas over Zn-Mn promoted Cu-Febased catalyst was proposed. Here, Zn-Mn promoted Cu-Febased catalyst can be regarded as a potential candidate for catalytic conversion of biomass-derived syngas to mixed alcohols.

Burnished graphite powders and physical vapor-deposition (PVD) coatings of layered crystalline materials such as MoSx have often been used as solid lubricants. This letter will report on a novel ion-induced modification of a graphite-powder coating on a silicon surface. Even at very low ion doses, the bombardment results in structural modifications observed as a considerable reduction in x rays reflected from the (002) sliding planes, which indicates an amorphization process. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies have confirmed almost complete amorphization with 200 keV Ar ions at 1016 ions cm-2. A commercial scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was used as an advanced profilometer to study ion-induced changes in the surface morphology at the powder surface. The mechanical properties of the combined graphite-coating/silicon system were studied by nanoindentation technique, and the perspectives in ion-beam burnishing of graphite coatings will be discussed.

A method for coating a titanium panel or foil with aluminum and amorphous silicon to provide an oxygen barrier abrogating oxidation of the substrate metal is developed. The process is accomplished with known inexpensive procedures common in materials research laboratories, i.e., electron beam deposition and sputtering. The procedures are conductive to treating foil gage titanium and result in submicron layers which virtually add no weight to the titanium. There are no costly heating steps. The coatings blend with the substrate titanium until separate mechanical properties are subsumed by those of the substrate without cracking or spallation. This method appreciably increases the ability of titanium to mechanically perform in high thermal environments such as those witnessed on structures of space vehicles during re-entry

Fractal polyzirconosiloxane (PZS) cluster films were prepared through the hydrolysis-polycondensation-pyrolysis synthesis of two-step HCl acid-NaOH base catalyzed sol precursors consisting of N-[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]-4,5-dihydroimidazole, Zr(OC{sub 3}H{sub 7}){sub 4}, methanol, and water. When amorphous PZSs were applied to aluminum as protective coatings against NaCl-induced corrosion, the effective film was that derived from the sol having a pH near the isoelectric point in the positive zeta potential region. The following four factors played an important role in assembling the protective PZS coating films: (1) a proper rate of condensation, (2) a moderate ratio of Si-O-Si to Si-O-Zr linkages formed in the PZS network, (3) hydrophobic characteristics, and (4) a specific microstructural geometry, in which large fractal clusters were linked together.

Fractal polyzirconosiloxane (PZS) cluster films were prepared through the hydrolysis-polycondensation-pyrolysis synthesis of two-step HCl acid-NaOH base catalyzed sol precursors consisting of N-(3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl)-4,5-dihydroimidazole, Zr(OC{sub 3}H{sub 7}){sub 4}, methanol, and water. When amorphous PZSs were applied to aluminum as protective coatings against NaCl-induced corrosion, the effective film was that derived from the sol having a pH near the isoelectric point in the positive zeta potential region. The following four factors played an important role in assembling the protective PZS coating films: (1) a proper rate of condensation, (2) a moderate ratio of Si-O-Si to Si-O-Zr linkages formed in the PZS network, (3) hydrophobic characteristics, and (4) a specific microstructural geometry, in which large fractal clusters were linked together.

Amorphous silicon is a thin film option that has the potential for a cost-effective product for large-scale utility photovoltaics application. The initial efficiencies for single-junction and multijunction amorphous silicon cells and modules have increased significantly over the past 10 years. The emphasis of research and development has changed to stabilized efficiency, especially that of multijunction modules. NREL has measured 6.3%--7.2% stabilized amorphous silicon module efficiencies for US products, and 8.1% stable efficiencies have been reported by Fuji Electric. This represents a significant increase over the stabilized efficiencies of modules manufactured only a few years ago. An increasing portion of the amorphous silicon US government funding is now for manufacturing technology development to reduce cost. The funding for amorphous silicon for photovoltaics by Japan over the last 5 years has been about 50% greater than that in the United State, and by Germany in the last 2--3 years more than twice that of the US Amorphous silicon is the only thin-film technology that is selling large-area commercial modules. The cost for amorphous silicon modules is now in the $4.50 range; it is a strong function of plant production capacity and is expected to be reduced to $1.00--1.50/W{sub p} for plants with 10 MW/year capacities. 10 refs.

Amorphous silicon is a thin film option that has the potential for a cost-effective product for large-scale utility photovoltaics application. The initial efficiencies for single-junction and multijunction amorphous silicon cells and modules have increased significantly over the past 10 years. The emphasis of research and development has changed to stabilized efficiency, especially that of multijunction modules. NREL has measured 6.3%--7.2% stabilized amorphous silicon module efficiencies for U.S. products, and 8.1% stable efficiencies have been reported by Fuji Electric. This represents a significant increase over the stabilized efficiencies of modules manufactured only a few years ago. An increasing portion of the amorphous silicon U.S. government funding is now for manufacturing technology development to reduce cost. The funding for amorphous silicon for photovoltaics by Japan over the last 5 years has been about 50% greater than that in the United States, and by Germany in the last 2--3 years more than twice that of the U.S. Amorphous silicon is the only thin-film technology that is selling large-area commercial modules. The cost for amorphous silicon modules is now in the $4.50 range; it is a strong function of plant production capacity and is expected to be reduced to $1.00--1.50/W[sub [ital p

We developed several Fe-based bulk metallic glasses with a unique combination of large glass-forming ability and excellent soft magnetic properties by minor doping of Cu in the Fe76C7.0Si3.3B5.0P8.7 alloy. Proper additions of the non-magnetic copper element which has a positive heat of mixing with Fe, coupled with adequate annealing, can stimulate formation of ˜5 nm αFe ferromagnetic nanocrystals, which results in the increment in the saturation magnetization. Over-annealing which induced coarsening of the α-Fe nanocrystals reduces the ferromagnetic exchange interaction between the nanosized α-Fe crystals and increases the effective magneto-crystalline anisotropy, thereby deteriorating the soft magnetic properties.

In Fall 2010, a workshop on the role and future of Fe-based Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) alloys gathered together ODS alloy suppliers, potential industrial end-users, and technical experts in relevant areas. Presentations and discussions focused on the current state of development of these alloys, their availability from commercial suppliers, past major evaluations of ODS alloy components in fossil and nuclear energy applications, and the technical and economic issues attendant to commercial use of ODS alloys. Significant progress has been achieved in joining ODS alloys, with creep resistant joints successfully made by inertia welding, friction stir welding and plasma-assisted pulse diffusion bonding, and in improving models for the prediction of lifetime components. New powder and alloy fabrication methods to lower cost or improve endproduct properties were also described. The final open discussion centered on challenges and pathways for further development and large-scale use of ODS alloys.

KFe2As2 is the end-member of the Ba1-xKxFe2As2 family of Fe-based superconductors. Despite a small Tc of 3 K, this compound is of particular interest because unlike the other members of this family of superconductors, the Fermi surface of KFe2As2 is free of electron pocket. Interest for this material was intensified following various reports on possible nodal superconducting order parameters in this system. Due to its momentum-resolved capabilities, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) is particularly suitable for investigating the key aspects of the electronic structure of materials. In this work we present recent ARPES data of KFe2As2 and related materials.

High-resolution angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy is used to examine the electronic band structure of FeTe_{0.5}Se_{0.5} near the Brillouin zone center. A consistent separation of the α_{1} and α_{2} bands is observed with little k_{z} dependence of the α_{1} band. First-principles calculations for bulk and thin films demonstrate that the antiferromagnetic coupling between the Fe atoms and hybridization-induced spin-orbit effects lifts the degeneracy of the Fe d_{xz} and d_{yz} orbitals at the zone center leading to orbital ordering. These experimental and computational results provide a natural microscopic basis for the nematicity observed in the Fe-based superconductors. PMID:25955070

The unusual temperature dependence of the resistivity and its in-plane anisotropy observed in the Fe-based superconducting materials, particularly Ba(Fe_{1-x}Co_{x})_{2}As_{2}, has been a long-standing puzzle. Here, we consider the effect of impurity scattering on the temperature dependence of the average resistivity within a simple two-band model of a dirty spin density wave metal. The sharp drop in resistivity below the Néel temperature T_{N} in the parent compound can only be understood in terms of a Lifshitz transition following Fermi surface reconstruction upon magnetic ordering. We show that the observed resistivity anisotropy in this phase, arising from nematic defect structures, is affected by the Lifshitz transition as well. PMID:25793844

Using photoemission electron microscopy with x-ray magnetic circular dichroism as a contrast mechanism, new insights into the all-optical magnetization switching (AOS) phenomenon in GdFe-based rare-earth transition-metal ferrimagnetic alloys are provided. From a sequence of static images taken after single linearly polarized laser pulse excitation, the repeatability of AOS can be quantified with a correlation coefficient. It is found that low coercivity enables thermally activated domain-wall motion, limiting in turn the repeatability of the switching. Time-resolved measurements of the magnetization dynamics reveal that while AOS occurs below and above the magnetization compensation temperature TM, it is not observed in GdFe samples where TM is absent. Finally, AOS is experimentally demonstrated against an applied magnetic field of up to 180 mT.

We report the discovery of a novel Fe-based superconductor EuAFe4As4 (A = Rb, Cs) and describe its superconducting properties. EuAFe4As4 has a tetragonal unit cell with a P4/mmm (No. 123) space group, indicating that this material is an 1144-type compound. The magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity indicate superconducting transitions at approximately 36 and 35 K for EuRbFe4As4 and EuCsFe4As4, respectively. Moreover, an anomalous magnetic transition appears at approximately 15 K, suggesting the coexistence of superconductivity and a magnetic ordered state formed by the Eu2+ ions. The determined upper critical magnetic fields and coherence lengths are approximately 920 kOe and 1.8 nm for EuRbFe4As4 and 875 kOe and 1.9 nm for EuCsFe4As4, respectively.

The alteration and formation of toxic compounds and potential changes in the toxicity of emissions when using after-treatment technologies have gained wide attention. Volatile organic compound (VOC), carbonyl compound and particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions were tested at European Steady State Cycle (ESC) to study unregulated emissions from a diesel engine with a fuel-borne catalyst and diesel particulate filter (FBC-DPF). An Fe-based fuel-borne catalyst was used for this study. According to the results, brake specific emissions of total VOCs without and with DPF were 4.7 and 4.9mg/kWh, respectively, showing a 4.3% increase. Benzene and n-undecane emissions increased and toluene emission decreased, while other individual VOC emissions basically had no change. When retrofitted with the FBC-DPF, total carbonyl compound emission decreased 15.7%, from 25.8 to 21.8mg/kWh. The two highest carbonyls, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, were reduced from 20.0 and 3.7 to 16.5 and 3.3mg/kWh respectively. The specific reactivity (SR) with DPF was reduced from 6.68 to 6.64mg/kWh. Total particle-phase PAH emissions decreased 66.4% with DPF compared to that without DPF. However, the Benzo[a]pyrene equivalent (BaPeq) with DPF had increased from 0.016 to 0.030mg/kWh. Fluoranthene and Pyrene had the greatest decrease, 91.1% and 88.4% respectively. The increase of two- and three-ring PAHs with DPF indicates that the fuel-borne catalyst caused some gas-phase PAHs to adsorb on particles. The results of this study expand the knowledge of the effects of using a particulate filter and a Fe-based fuel-borne catalyst on diesel engine unregulated emissions. PMID:25288546

I review theoretical ideas and implications of experiments for the gap structure and symmetry of the Fe-based superconductors. Unlike any other class of unconventional superconductors, one has in these systems the possibility to tune the interactions by small changes in pressure, doping or disorder. Thus, measurements of order parameter evolution with these parameters should enable a deeper understanding of the underlying interactions. I briefly review the "standard paradigm" for s-wave pairing in these systems, and then focus on developments in the past several years which have challenged this picture. I further discuss the reasons for the apparent close competition between pairing in s- and d-wave channels, particularly in those systems where one type of Fermi surface pocket - hole or electron - is missing. Observation of a transition between s- and d-wave symmetry, possibly via a time reversal symmetry breaking "s + id" state, would provide an important confirmation of these ideas. Several proposals for detecting these novel phases are discussed, including the appearance of order parameter collective modes in Raman and optical conductivities. Transitions between two different types of s-wave states, involving various combinations of signs on Fermi surface pockets, can also proceed through a T-breaking "s + is" state. I discuss recent work that suggests pairing may take place away from the Fermi level over a surprisingly large energy range, as well as the effect of glide plane symmetry of the Fe-based systems on the superconductivity, including various exotic, time and translational invariance breaking pair states that have been proposed. Finally, I address disorder issues, and the various ways systematic introduction of disorder can (and cannot) be used to extract information on gap symmetry and structure.

Neutron scattering, with its ability to measure the crystal structure, the magnetic order, and the structural and magnetic excitations, plays an active role in investigating various families of Fe-based high-Tc superconductors. Three different types of antiferromagnetic orders have been discovered in the Fe plane, but two of them cannot be explained by the spin-density-wave (SDW) mechanism of nesting Fermi surfaces. Noticing the close relation between antiferromagnetic order and lattice distortion in orbital ordering from previous studies on manganites and other oxides, we have advocated orbital ordering as the underlying common mechanism for the structural and antiferromagnetic transitions in the 1111, 122, and 11 parent compounds. We observe the coexistence of antiferromagnetic order and superconductivity in the (Ba,K)Fe2As2 system, when its phase separation is generally accepted. Optimal Tc is proposed to be controlled by the local FeAs4 tetrahedron from our investigation on the 1111 materials. The Bloch phase coherence of the Fermi liquid is found crucial to the occurrence of bulk superconductivity in iron chalcogenides of both the 11 and the 245 families. Iron chalcogenides carry a larger staggered magnetic moment (> 2 μB/Fe) than that in iron pnictides (< 1 μB/Fe) in the antiferromagnetic order. Normal state magnetic excitations in the 11 superconductor are of the itinerant nature while in the 245 superconductor the spin-waves of localized moments. The observation of superconducting resonance peak provides a crucial piece of information in current deliberation of the pairing symmetry in Fe-based superconductors.

The absence of gravity allows containerless processing of materials which could not otherwise be processed. High melting point, hard materials such as borides, nitrides, and refractory metals are usually brittle in their crystalline form. The absence of dislocations in amorphous materials frequently endows them with flexibility and toughness. Systematic studies of the properties of many amorphous materials have not been carried out. The requirements for their production is that they can be processed in a controlled way without container interaction. Containerless processing in microgravity could permit the control necessary to produce amorphous forms of hard materials.

Its direct momentum sensitivity confers to angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) a unique perspective in investigating the superconducting gap of multi-band systems. In this review we discuss ARPES studies on the superconducting gap of high-temperature Fe-based superconductors. We show that while Fermi-surface-driven pairing mechanisms fail to provide a universal scheme for the Fe-based superconductors, theoretical approaches based on short-range interactions lead to a more robust and universal description of superconductivity in these materials. Our findings are also discussed in the broader context of unconventional superconductivity. PMID:26153847

Crystallization from amorphous phases is an emerging pathway for making advanced materials. Biology has made use of amorphous precursor phases for eons and used them to produce structures with remarkable properties. Herein, we show how the design of the amorphous phase greatly influences the nanocrystals formed therefrom. We investigate the transformation of mixed amorphous calcium phosphate/amorphous calcium carbonate phases into bone-like nanocrystalline apatite using in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and IR spectroscopy. The speciation of phosphate was controlled by pH to favor HPO4 (2-) . In a carbonate free system, the reaction produces anisotropic apatite crystallites with large aspect ratios. The first formed crystallites are highly calcium deficient and hydrogen phosphate rich, consistent with thin octacalcium phosphate (OCP)-like needles. During growth, the crystallites become increasingly stoichiometric, which indicates that the crystallites grow through addition of near-stoichiometric apatite to the OCP-like initial crystals through a process that involves either crystallite fusion/aggregation or Ostwald ripening. The mixed amorphous phases were found to be more stable against phase transformations, hence, the crystallization was inhibited. The resulting crystallites were smaller and less anisotropic. This is rationalized by the idea that a local phosphate-depletion zone formed around the growing crystal until it was surrounded by amorphous calcium carbonate, which stopped the crystallization. PMID:27460160

Amorphous carbon is an elemental form of carbon with low hydrogen content, which may be deposited in thin films by the impact of high energy carbon atoms or ions. It is structurally distinct from the more well-known elemental forms of carbon, diamond and graphite. It is distinct in physical and chemical properties from the material known as diamond-like carbon, a form which is also amorphous but which has a higher hydrogen content, typically near 40 atomic percent. Amorphous carbon also has distinctive Raman spectra, whose patterns depend, through resonance enhancement effects, not only on deposition conditions but also on the wavelength selected for Raman excitation. This paper provides an overview of the Raman spectroscopy of amorphous carbon and describes how Raman spectral patterns correlate to film deposition conditions, physical properties and molecular level structure.

An improved method and apparatus for the controlled deposition of a layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon on a substrate. Means is provided for the illumination of the coated surface of the substrate and measurement of the resulting photovoltage at the outermost layer of the coating. Means is further provided for admixing amounts of p type and n type dopants to the reactant gas in response to the measured photovoltage to achieve a desired level and type of doping of the deposited layer.

Disclosed herein are aluminide coatings. In one embodiment coatings are used as a barrier coating to protect a metal substrate, such as a steel or a superalloy, from various chemical environments, including oxidizing, reducing and/or sulfidizing conditions. In addition, the disclosed coatings can be used, for example, to prevent the substantial diffusion of various elements, such as chromium, at elevated service temperatures. Related methods for preparing protective coatings on metal substrates are also described.

A coating is described for iron group metals and alloys, that is particularly suitable for use with nickel containing alloys. The coating is glassy in nature and consists of a mixture containing an alkali metal oxide, strontium oxide, and silicon oxide. When the glass coated nickel base metal is"fired'' at less than the melting point of the coating, it appears the nlckel diffuses into the vitreous coating, thus providing a closely adherent and protective cladding.

Prevention of corrosion is a vital goal for the Department of Defense when billions of dollars are spent every year. Corrosion resistant materials have applications in all sort of military vehicles, and more importantly in naval vessels and submarines which come in contact with the seawater. It is known that corrosion resistance property can be improved by the used of structurally designed materials in the amorphous state where the atoms are arranged in a non-periodic fashion and specific atoms, tailored to the required properties can be interjected into the matrix for specific application. The XRD techniques reported here is to demonstrate the optimal conditions for characterization of these materials. The samples, which normally contain different compositions of Fe, Cr, B, Mo, Y, Mn, Si and W, are in the form of powders, ribbons and coatings. These results will be compared for the different forms of the sample which appears to correlate to the cooling rate during sample processing. In most cases, the materials are amorphous or amorphous with very small amount of crystallinity. In the ribbon samples for different compositions we observed that the materials are essentially amorphous. In most cases, starting from an amorphous powder sample, the coatings are also observed to be amorphous with a small amount of iron oxide on the surface, probably due to exposure to air.

New and improved Ni-, Co-, and Fe-base bond coatings have been identified for the ZrO2-Y2O3 thermal barrier coatings to be used on Ni-, Co-, and Fe-base alloy substrates. These bond coatings were evaluated in a cyclic furnace between 1120 and 1175 C. It was found that MCrAlYb (where M = Ni, Co, or Fe) bond coating thermal barrier systems have significantly longer lives than MCrAlY bond coating thermal barrier systems. The longest life was obtained with the FeCrAlYb thermal barrier system followed by NiCrAlYb and CoCrAlYb thermal barrier systems in that order.

A novel method of manufacturing one-step dry-coated (OSDRC) tablets, which we recently invented, was used to produce sugar-coated tablets protected from moisture without the need for a conventional complicated sugar coating process. Amorphous sucrose was selected for the outer layer of the OSDRC tablets as sugar-coated layer. The isothermal crystallization behavior and characteristics such as water vapor permeability, tensile strength, and disintegration time of compressed amorphous sucrose were investigated. Water vapor adsorption measurements showed the crystallization behavior of amorphous tablets to be similar to that of amorphous powder, although it was affected by compression pressure. We found that the crystallized amorphous sucrose after compression at 200 MPa was moisture protective, and the water vapor permeability coefficient was decreased to 1/2000 or less compared with a tablet prepared with a lactose-microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) mixture, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), and sucrose crystal. The water vapor permeability and physicochemical characteristics were influenced by the amorphous content or additive content. It was confirmed that a new sugar-coated tablet using amorphous sucrose and OSDRC technology was moisture protective, therefore, it was concluded that the novel sugar coating method was very useful to obtain a moisture protective tablet. PMID:17258875

All-carbon solar cells have attracted attention as candidates for innovative photovoltaic devices. Carbon-based materials such as graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNT) and amorphous carbon (aC) have the potential to present physical properties comparable to those of silicon-based materials with advantages such as low cost and higher thermal stability.In particular a-C structures are promising systems in which both sp2 and sp3 hybridization coordination are present in different proportions depending on the specific density, providing the possibility of tuning their optoelectronic properties and achieving comparable sunlight absorption to aSi. In this work we employ density functional theory to design suitable device architectures, such as bulk heterojunctions (BHJ) or pn junctions, consisting of a-C as the active layer material.Regarding BHJ, we study interfaces between aC and C nanostructures (such as CNT and fullerene) to relate their optoelectronic properties to the stoichiometry of aC. We demonstrate that the energy alignment between the a-C mobility edges and the occupied and unoccupied states of the CNT or C60 can be widely tuned by varying the aC density to obtain a type II interface.To employ aC in pn junctions we analyze the p- and n-type doping of a-C focusingon an evaluation of the Fermi level and work function dependence on doping.Our results highlight promising features of aC as the active layer material of thin-film solar cells.

Uniformly dispersed nanocomposite coating of aligned metallic nanowires in a matrix of amorphous alumina is fabricated by pulsed electrodeposition of copper into the pores of porous anodic alumina. Uniform deposition is obtained by controlling the geometry of the dendritic structure at the bottom of pores through stepwise voltage reduction followed by mild etching. The tribological behaviour of this nanocomposite coating is evaluated using a ball on flat reciprocating tribometer under the dry contact conditions. The nanocomposite coating has higher wear resistance compared to corresponding porous alumina coating. Wear resistant nanocomposite coating has wide applications especially in protecting the internal surfaces of aluminium internal combustion engines.

Mesoporous nanocomposites composed of crystalline and amorphous oxides network were successfully synthesized by a continuous aerosol spray process; electrodes made from such nanocomposites with a thin-layer of protective oxide coating exhibit high capacity and long cycling life for lithium storage. PMID:26121570

Iron-based amorphous alloys have attracted a growing interest due to their potential in the application of magnetic coil production. However, the magnetization of this kind of material is usually low due to the lack of long range ordering and high alloying element content. In this paper, an Fe76B19P5 amorphous alloy was simulated with ab initio molecular dynamics based on a previous simulation work on an Fe76Si9B10P5 amorphous alloy exhibiting that electron absorbers such as B and P can help enhance the magnetization of nearby Fe atoms. The present simulation results show that replacing Si with B can destabilize the amorphous structure, making it easier to crystallize, but no separate α-Fe participation can be observed in experiments during annealing due to its high B/P content. The results also show an increase in saturation magnetization by 8% can be expected due to the intensified electron transfer from Fe to B/P, and the glass forming ability decreases correspondingly. The idea of enhancing electron transfer can be applied to the development of other Fe-basedamorphous alloys for the purpose of larger saturation magnetization.

Carbonated hydroxyapatite is the mineral found in vertebrate bones and teeth, whereas invertebrates utilize calcium carbonate in their mineralized organs. In particular, stable amorphous calcium carbonate is found in many crustaceans. Here we report on an unusual, crystalline enamel-like apatite layer found in the mandibles of the arthropod Cherax quadricarinatus (freshwater crayfish). Despite their very different thermodynamic stabilities, amorphous calcium carbonate, amorphous calcium phosphate, calcite and fluorapatite coexist in well-defined functional layers in close proximity within the mandible. The softer amorphous minerals are found primarily in the bulk of the mandible whereas apatite, the harder and less soluble mineral, forms a wear-resistant, enamel-like coating of the molar tooth. Our findings suggest a unique case of convergent evolution, where similar functional challenges of mastication led to independent developments of structurally and mechanically similar, apatite-based layers in the teeth of genetically remote phyla: vertebrates and crustaceans. PMID:22588301

Carbonated hydroxyapatite is the mineral found in vertebrate bones and teeth, whereas invertebrates utilize calcium carbonate in their mineralized organs. In particular, stable amorphous calcium carbonate is found in many crustaceans. Here we report on an unusual, crystalline enamel-like apatite layer found in the mandibles of the arthropod Cherax quadricarinatus (freshwater crayfish). Despite their very different thermodynamic stabilities, amorphous calcium carbonate, amorphous calcium phosphate, calcite and fluorapatite coexist in well-defined functional layers in close proximity within the mandible. The softer amorphous minerals are found primarily in the bulk of the mandible whereas apatite, the harder and less soluble mineral, forms a wear-resistant, enamel-like coating of the molar tooth. Our findings suggest a unique case of convergent evolution, where similar functional challenges of mastication led to independent developments of structurally and mechanically similar, apatite-based layers in the teeth of genetically remote phyla: vertebrates and crustaceans. PMID:22588301

The precipitation of nanoparticles plays a key role in determining the properties of many structural materials, and the understanding of their formation and stabilization mechanisms has been a long standing interest in the material field. However, the critical issues involving the group precipitation of various nanoparticles and their cooperative hardening mechanism remain elusive in the newly discovered Fe-based alloys with nanostructures. Here we quantitatively elucidate the nucleation mechanism, evolution kinetics and hardening effects of the group-precipitated nanoparticles in the Fe-Cu-Ni-Al-based alloys by atom probe tomography together with both first-principles and thermodynamic calculations. Our results provide the compelling evidence for two interesting but complex group precipitation pathways of nanoparticles, i.e., the Cu-rich and NiAl-based precipitations. The co-existence of the two precipitation pathways plays a key role in age hardening kinetics and ultimately enhances the hardening response, as compared to the single particle type of strengthening, therefore providing an effective new approach for strengthening materials for structural applications. PMID:26892834

The precipitation of nanoparticles plays a key role in determining the properties of many structural materials, and the understanding of their formation and stabilization mechanisms has been a long standing interest in the material field. However, the critical issues involving the group precipitation of various nanoparticles and their cooperative hardening mechanism remain elusive in the newly discovered Fe-based alloys with nanostructures. Here we quantitatively elucidate the nucleation mechanism, evolution kinetics and hardening effects of the group-precipitated nanoparticles in the Fe-Cu-Ni-Al-based alloys by atom probe tomography together with both first-principles and thermodynamic calculations. Our results provide the compelling evidence for two interesting but complex group precipitation pathways of nanoparticles, i.e., the Cu-rich and NiAl-based precipitations. The co-existence of the two precipitation pathways plays a key role in age hardening kinetics and ultimately enhances the hardening response, as compared to the single particle type of strengthening, therefore providing an effective new approach for strengthening materials for structural applications. PMID:26892834

We present an object-oriented framework for the finite-element (FE)-based simulation of the human knee joint motion. The FE model of the knee joint is acquired from the patients in vivo by using magnetic resonance imaging. The MRI images are converted into a three-dimensional model and finally an all-hexahedral mesh for the FE analysis is generated. The simulation environment uses nonlinear finite-element analysis (FEA) and is capable of handling contact of the model to handle the complex rolling/sliding motion of the knee joint. The software strictly follows object-oriented concepts of software engineering in order to guarantee maximum extensibility and maintainability. The final goal of this work-in-progress is the creation of a computer-based biomechanical model of the knee joint which can be used in a variety of applications, ranging from prosthesis design and treatment planning (e.g., optimal reconstruction of ruptured ligaments) over surgical simulation to impact computations in crashworthiness simulations. PMID:15311837

We investigated the influence of particle size on the microstructure and magnetocaloric effect of Fe-based alloy powders (11 μm to 100 μm in diameter). The degree of structure order varies with the powder size. The 11 μm to 18 μm powders show the largest peak magnetic entropy change (MEC). Increasing the degree of structure order tends to decrease the maximum MEC. Nevertheless, enhancement of refrigerant capacity and MEC (above 70 K) is achieved when the crystalline phase content is ˜50% (above 75 μm) in the 75 μm to 100 μm powders. Exponent n of the field dependence of MEC increases with the decrease in powder size above 22.5 K. The size dependence of the structure and properties is associated with the fact that a larger particle has a slower cooling rate and takes a longer time to form medium-to-long range ordered structures.

The rich variety of the phase diagrams in Fe-based superconductors, such as the nonmagnetic/magnetic nematic phase in FeSe/LaFeAsO, is not able to be explained by the mean-field level approximations. Recently, we explained the phase diagrams of FeSe and LaFeAsO in term of the orbital +spin fluctuation theory, by including the Aslamazov-Larkin vertex correction (AL-VC). The nematic orbital order without magnetization in FeSe is well explained. In the present study, we analyze the superconducting states in FeSe and LaFeAsO, by applying the orbital +spin fluctuation theory. Rich variety of the superconducting gap structures are induced by the strong orbital and spin fluctuations driven by the AL-VC (=orbital-spin interplay). We find that the pairing interaction due to the orbital fluctuations is strongly enlarged by the AL-VC for the anomalous self-energy, so the Migdal theory is seriously violated in the orbital-fluctuation pairing mechanism.

The precipitation of nanoparticles plays a key role in determining the properties of many structural materials, and the understanding of their formation and stabilization mechanisms has been a long standing interest in the material field. However, the critical issues involving the group precipitation of various nanoparticles and their cooperative hardening mechanism remain elusive in the newly discovered Fe-based alloys with nanostructures. Here we quantitatively elucidate the nucleation mechanism, evolution kinetics and hardening effects of the group-precipitated nanoparticles in the Fe-Cu-Ni-Al-based alloys by atom probe tomography together with both first-principles and thermodynamic calculations. Our results provide the compelling evidence for two interesting but complex group precipitation pathways of nanoparticles, i.e., the Cu-rich and NiAl-based precipitations. The co-existence of the two precipitation pathways plays a key role in age hardening kinetics and ultimately enhances the hardening response, as compared to the single particle type of strengthening, therefore providing an effective new approach for strengthening materials for structural applications.

The coarsening of the three-dimensional microstructure resulting from phase separation during ageing at 748 K of a Fe-based PM 2000{trademark} oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel has been investigated by atom probe tomography and hardness measurements. Phase separation resulted in the formation of isolated particles of the chromium-enriched {alpha}{prime} phase. The aluminum and titanium were found to preferential partition to the iron-rich {alpha} phase. The partitioning of aluminum is consistent with theoretical calculations. The change in the scale of the chromium-enriched {alpha}{prime} phase was found to fit a power law with a time exponent of 0.32 in accordance with that predicted by the classical Lifshitz, Slyozov and Wagner (LSW) theory. The solute concentrations of the coexisting {alpha} and {alpha}{prime} phases were estimated from concentration frequency distributions with the Langer-Bar-on-Miller (LBM) method and proximity histograms. The hardness was linearly related to the chromium content of the {alpha}{prime} phase.

The precipitation of nanoparticles plays a key role in determining the properties of many structural materials, and the understanding of their formation and stabilization mechanisms has been a long standing interest in the material field. However, the critical issues involving the group precipitation of various nanoparticles and their cooperative hardening mechanism remain elusive in the newly discovered Fe-based alloys with nanostructures. Here we quantitatively elucidate the nucleation mechanism, evolution kinetics and hardening effects of the group-precipitated nanoparticles in the Fe-Cu-Ni-Al-based alloys by atom probe tomography together with both first-principles and thermodynamic calculations. Our results provide the compelling evidence for twomore » interesting but complex group precipitation pathways of nanoparticles, i.e., the Cu-rich and NiAl-based precipitations. Lastly, the co-existence of the two precipitation pathways plays a key role in age hardening kinetics and ultimately enhances the hardening response, as compared to the single particle type of strengthening, therefore providing an effective new approach for strengthening materials for structural applications.« less

I will discuss antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in novel Fe-based superconductors within the itinerant model of small electron and hole pockets near (0,0) and (,). I will argue that the effective interactions in both channels logarithmically flow towards the same values at low energies, i.e., antiferromagnetism and superconductivity must be treated on equal footings. The magnetic instability comes first for equal sizes of the two pockets, but looses to superconductivity upon doping. The superconducting gap has no nodes, but changes sign between the two Fermi surfaces (extended s-wave symmetry). I will argue that the T dependencies of the spin susceptibility, NMR relaxation rate, and the penetration depth for such state are exponential only at very low T, and can be well fitted by power-laws over a wide T range below Tc. I will also discuss the type of a transition between spin-density-wave and superconducting states at T=0 and at finite T, and the linear T dependence of the spin susceptibility in the normal state. Based on the works done with I. Eremin, D. Efremov, M. Korshunov, D. Maslov, M. Vavilov, and A. Vorontsov.

Both cuprates and Fe-based superconductors, the two known high Tc superconducting families, show rich emergent phenomena near the superconductivity (SC). To understand the mechanism of unconventional SC, it is crucial to unravel the nature of these emergent orders. The 112 Fe pnictide superconductor (FPS), Ca1-xRExFeAs2 (CaRE112), shows SC up to 42 K, the highest bulk Tc among all nonoxide FPS [2]. Being an exceptional FPS where the global C4 rotational symmetry is broken even at room temperature, it is important to extract the similarities and differences between 112 and other FPS so that critical ingredients in inducing SC in FPS can be filtered. In this talk, I will review current progress in the study of 112. The comparison between Co doped CaLa112 and Co doped 10-3-8 will be made and the importance of interlayer coupling will be discussed. The work on 112 is supported by NSF while the work on 10-3-8 is supported by DOE.

Li-ion batteries have enabled a revolution in the way portable consumer-electronics are powered and will play an important role as large-scale electrochemical storage applications like electric vehicles and grid-storage are developed. The ability to identify and design promising new positive insertion electrodes will be vital in continuing to push Li-ion technology to its fullest potential. Utilizing a combination of computational tools and structural analysis, we report new indicators which will facilitate the recognition of phases with the desired redox potential. Most importantly of these, we find there is a strong correlation between the presence of Li ions sitting in close-proximity to the redox center of polyanionic phases and the open circuit voltage in Fe-based cathodes. This common structural feature suggests that the bonding associated with Li may have a secondary inductive effect which increases the ionic character of Fe bonds beyond what is typically expected based purely on arguments of electronegativity associated with the polyanionic group. This correlation is supported by ab initio calculations which show the Bader charge increases (reflecting an increased ionicity) in a nearly linear fashion with the experimental cell potentials. These features are demonstrated to be consistent across a wide variety of compositions and structures and should help to facilitate the design of new, high-potential, and environmentally sustainable insertion electrodes. PMID:24588538

We have investigated the electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of two Fe-based superconductors and related parent compounds via three powerful techniques: scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/S), high-temperature vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and optical transmission spectroscopy (OTS). Below the superconducting transition temperature Tc ~ 48 K, the STM/S of polycrystalline NdFeAsO0.86F0.14 reveals a single-gap feature. The quantitative fitting of STS data results in BCS like temperature dependence of the energy gap (T), with 2 (0)/kBTc ~ 4.3. Surprisingly, the tunneling spectra of BaFe2As2 single crystals show no evidence for the opening of a gap below its magnetic/structural transition temperature TMS ~ 140 K. This transition also had little impact on the transmission spectra in the wavelength range between 400 and 2400 nm. But its effect to the magnetic properties is dramatic, as reflected by the unusual magnetic susceptibility in a wide temperature range.

One surprising characteristic of Fe-based superconductors is that they exhibit flux creep rates (S) as large as, or larger than, those found in oxide high temperature superconductors (HTS). This very fast vortex dynamics appears to be inconsistent with the estimate of the influence of the thermal fluctuations as quantified by the Ginzburg number (Gi), which measures the ratio of the thermal energy to the condensation energy in an elemental superconducting volume. In particular, compounds of the AFe2As2 family (``122'') have Gi ~10-5 to 10-4, so S could be expected to lie between that of low Tc materials (where typically Gi ~ 10-8) and HTS such as YBa2Cu3O7 (Gi ~ 10-2) , as indeed occurs in other superconductors with intermediate fluctuations, such as MgB2 (Gi ~10-6 to 10-4) . We have found the solution to this puzzle: the fast creep rates in 122 compounds are due to non-optimized pinning landscapes. Initial evidence comes from our previous studies showing that the introduction of additional disorder by irradiation decreases creep significantly in 122 single crystals, although still remaining well above the ideal limit. We now have new evidence from 122 thin films demonstrating that S can be reduced to the lower limit set by Gi by appropriate engineering of the pinning landscape.

Nanocrystalline Fe-based alloys are interesting for their soft magnetic properties. Because these alloys are potentially applicable in outdoor-working components, their corrosion behaviour requires careful analysis. This work presents the results of the atmospheric corrosion tests in industrial and rural environments performed for up to 6 months. We compared the corrosion behaviour of two different compositions of NANOPERM-type alloys: Fe87.5Zr6.5B6 and Fe76Mo8Cu1B15 with classical FINEMET alloys of the nominal composition of Fe73.5Cu1Nb3Si13.5B9 type. The techniques of Mössbauer spectroscopy, conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy have been employed to compare their corrosion rate, characterize corrosion products and inspect the structural changes of the nanocrystalline structure. It was found that the Si-containing FINEMET alloys are the most corrosion-resistant whereas worse corrosion properties were observed for molybdenum-containing Fe76Mo8Cu1B15 alloy. The corrosion product formed on the surface of NANOPERM-type alloys showed a needlelike morphology and a poor crystalline order and has been identified as lepidocrocite, γ-FeOOH.

The recent discovery of superconductivity in Fe-based layered compounds has created renewed interest in high temperature superconductivity. With a superconducting transition temperature as high as 55 K, this discovery provides a new direction to understand the essential ingredients for achieving a high superconducting transition temperature. In this talk, I will present our recent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies on LaOFeP and (Ba,K)Fe2As2 systems, with special emphasis on the basic electronic structure of the parent compounds. For LaOFeP, quantitative agreement can be found between our ARPES data and the LDA band structure calculations, suggesting that a weak coupling approach based on an itinerant ground state may be more appropriate for understanding this new superconducting compound [1]. On the other hand, the picture for (Ba,K)Fe2As2 system is more complicated. I will discuss two important issues in these FeAs compounds: 1) the unexpected Fermi surface topology in both undoped and doped compounds; 2) the peculiar signature of the SDW transition in ARPES spectra for the parent compound. [4pt] [1] D. H. Lu, M. Yi, S.-K. Mo, A. S. Erickson, J. Analytis, J.-H. Chu, D. J. Singh, Z. Hussain, T. H. Geballe, I. R. Fisher & Z.-X. Shen, Nature 455, 81 (2008).

The stress level can be altered in soft magnetic amorphous alloys by hydrogen absorption. The resulting changes in the soft magnetic parameters are reversible or irreversible, depending on the chemical composition. Some of these effects are demonstrated in Fe-B, Fe-W-B, and Fe-V-B glassy ribbons, in which various magnetic parameters are measured mainly during hydrogen desorption. The rate of hydrogen desorption is also monitored by measuring the pressure change in a hermetically closed bomb. The observed phenomena are interpreted on the basis of induced stresses and chemical interactions between the solute metal and hydrogen.

The present invention includes a nanostructure, a method of making thereof, and a method of photocatalysis. In one embodiment, the nanostructure includes a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase in contact with the crystalline phase. Each of the crystalline and amorphous phases has at least one dimension on a nanometer scale. In another embodiment, the nanostructure includes a nanoparticle comprising a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase. The amorphous phase is in a selected amount. In another embodiment, the nanostructure includes crystalline titanium dioxide and amorphous titanium dioxide in contact with the crystalline titanium dioxide. Each of the crystalline and amorphous titanium dioxide has at least one dimension on a nanometer scale.

Alkali treated aluminosilicate (geopolymer) was functionalized by surfactant to increase the hydrophobicity for making Pickering emulsion for the first part of this work. In the first part of this study, alkali treated metakaolin was functionalized with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide ((C16H33)N(CH 3)3Br, CTAB). The electrostatic interaction between this quaternary ammonium and the surface of the aluminosilicate which has negative charge has taken place. The particles then were used to prepare Pickering emulsion. The resulting stable dispersions, obtained very fast at very simple conditions with low ratio of aluminosilicate to liquid phase. In the second part, the interaction between geopolymer and glycerol was studied to see the covalent grafting of the geopolymer for making geopolymer composite. The composite material would be the basis material to be used as support catalyst, thin coating reagent and flame retardant material and so on, Variety of techniques, Thermogravimetric (TGA), Particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE), FTIR, Solid state NMR, Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), BET surface area, Elemental analysis (CHN), TEM, SEM and Optical microscopy were used to characterize the functionalized geopolymer.

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) is an amorphous form of carbon which resembles diamond in its hardness, lubricity, and interest for hardness, lubricity, and resistance to chemical attack. Such properties make DLC of use in barrier and hard coating technology. This report examines a variety of properties of DLC coatings which are relevant to its use as a protective coating. This includes examining substrates on which DLC coatings can be deposited; the resistance of DLC coatings to various chemical agents; adhesion of DLC coatings; and characterization of DLC coatings by electron microscopy, FTIR, sputter depth profiling, stress measurements, and nanoindentation.

The soft magnetic Fe-basedamorphous metallic ribbons Fe(87- x)Ti7Zr6[B x Si x ]0.5 (x = 8, 10, 12%) were prepared using the melt-spinning technique to have thickness of 15-22 μm and widths of 1-2 mm. Increasing the amounts of B and Si improved the soft magnetic properties: the coercivity ( H c) decreased, and the saturation magnetization ( M S) increased, the thermal and structural properties remained the same. Due to the high sensitivity of the alloys to the process conditions, variations in the widths of the melt-spun ribbons induced structural modifications, resulting in significant change in the soft magnetic properties. While the ribbons made with 1 mm widths had fully amorphous structures and soft magnetic properties, the ribbons with 2 mm widths showed semi-hard magnetic properties, which was attributed to the formation of nanocrystals inside the amorphous structures.

We present a thermodynamic model of solid-state amorphization based on a generalization of the well-known Lindemann criterion. The original Lindemann criterion proposes that melting occurs when the root-mean-square amplitude of thermal displacement exceeds a critical value. This criterion can be generalized to include solid-state amorphization by taking into account the static displacements. In an effort to verify the generalized melting criterion, we have performed molecular dynamics simulations of radiation-induced amorphization in NiZr, NiZr{sub 2}, NiTi and FeTi using embedded-atom potentials. The average shear elastic constant G was calculated as a function of the total mean-square atomic displacement following random atom-exchanges and introduction of Frenkel pairs. Results provide strong support for the generalized melting criterion.

We investigate the amorphous structure, chemical bonding, and electrical properties of magnetron sputtered Fe(1-xCx) (0.21 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.72) thin films. X-ray, electron diffraction and transmission electron microscopy show that the Fe(1-xCx) films are amorphous nanocomposites, consisting of a two-phase domain structure with Fe-rich carbidic FeC(y), and a carbon-rich matrix. Pair distribution function analysis indicates a close-range order similar to those of crystalline Fe(3)C carbides in all films with additional graphene-like structures at high carbon content (71.8 at% C). From x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, we find that the amorphous carbidic phase has a composition of 15-25 at% carbon that slightly increases with total carbon content. X-ray absorption spectra exhibit an increasing number of unoccupied 3d states and a decreasing number of C 2p states as a function of carbon content. These changes signify a systematic redistribution in orbital occupation due to charge-transfer effects at the domain-size-dependent carbide/matrix interfaces. The four-point probe resistivity of the Fe(1-xCx) films increases exponentially with carbon content from ∼200 μΩ cm (x = 0.21) to ∼1200 μΩ cm (x = 0.72), and is found to depend on the total carbon content rather than the composition of the carbide. Our findings open new possibilities for modifying the resistivity of amorphous thin film coatings based on transition metal carbides through the control of amorphous domain structures. PMID:25567721

A black chrome coating, originally developed for spacecraft solar cells, led to the development of an efficient flat plate solar collector. The coating, called Chromonyx, helps the collector absorb more heat. Olympic Solar Corporation was formed to electroplate the collector. The coating technique allows 95% of the sun's energy to be utilized. The process is widely used.

We investigate the formation of ice in wet amorphous cellulose in the temperature range of 190 K⩽T⩽280 K. Due to voids and pores in the cellulose film, water molecules are able to form crystalline aggregates. Beyond that, water is able to penetrate between cellulose chains where it can adsorb to hydroxyl side groups. From diffraction data we suggest an aggregation of low-density amorphous (lda) ice at cellulose surfaces. The formation of lda ice shows a clear temperature dependence which will be discussed together with recent inelastic neutron scattering results.

Fused silica insulation coatings have been developed for application to a flexible mat insulation system. Based on crystalline phase nucleation and growth kinetics, a 99+% SiO2 glass was selected as the base composition. A coating was developed that incorporated the high emissivity phase NiCr2O4 as a two phase coating with goals of high emittance and minimum change in thermal expansion. A second major coating classification has a plasma sprayed emittance coating over a sealed pure amorphous SiO2 layer. A third area of development centered on extremely thin amorphous SiO2 coatings deposited by chemical vapor deposition. The coating characterization studies presented are mechanical testing of thin specimens extracted from the coatings, cyclic arc exposures, and emittance measurements before and after arc exposures.

During the Apollo Program, General Magnaplate Corporation developed process techniques for bonding dry lubricant coatings to space metals. The coatings were not susceptible to outgassing and offered enhanced surface hardness and superior resistance to corrosion and wear. This development was necessary because conventional lubrication processes were inadequate for lightweight materials used in Apollo components. General Magnaplate built on the original technology and became a leader in development of high performance metallurgical surface enhancement coatings - "synergistic" coatings, - which are used in applications from pizza making to laser manufacture. Each of the coatings is designed to protect a specific metal or group of metals to solve problems encountered under operating conditions.

Conversion coatings form an important base for the adhesion of paint to metal substrates and for the bonding of rubber to metal parts. Four types of conversion coatings were assessed as base treatments for the bonding of rubber to steel and for the corrosion protection of metal substrates under paint: amorphous iron phosphate, heavy zinc phosphate, and three types of modified zinc phosphates that utilized one or more metal cations in addition to zinc. When applied, these conversion coatings formed a thin film over the metal substrate that was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and chemical methods. The performance of the coatings was assessed using physical methods such as dry adhesion, conical mandrel, impact, and stress adhesion for the rubber-bonded parts, and by corrosion resistance methods such as humidity, salt spray, and cyclic corrosion. Coating characterization and performance were correlated.

The spin resonance observed in the inelastic neutron scattering data on Fe-based superconductors has played a prominent role in the quest for determining the symmetry of the order parameter in these compounds. Most theoretical studies of the resonance employ an RPA-type approach in the particle-hole channel and associate the resonance in the spin susceptibility χS(q,ω) at momentum Q =(π,π) with the spin-exciton of an s+- superconductor, pulled below 2Δ by residual attraction associated with the sign change of the gap between Fermi points connected by Q. Here we explore the effect of fluctuations in the particle-particle channel on the spin resonance. Particle-particle and particle-hole channels are coupled in a superconductor and to what extent the spin resonance can be viewed as a particle-hole exciton needs to be addressed. In the case of purely repulsive interactions, we find that the particle-particle channel at total momentum Q (the π channel) contributes little to the resonance. However, if the interband density-density interaction is attractive and the π resonance is possible on its own, along with spin-exciton, we find a much stronger shift of the resonance frequency from the position of the would-be spin-exciton resonance. We also show that the expected double-peak structure in this situation does not appear because of the strong coupling between particle-hole and particle-particle channels, and ImχS(Q ,ω) displays only a single peak.

Analogous to nickel-based superalloys, Fe-based superalloys, which are strengthened by coherent B2- type precipitates are proposed for elevated-temperature applications. During the period of this project, a series of ferritic superalloys have been designed and fabricated by methods of vacuum-arc melting and vacuum-induction melting. Nano-scale precipitates were characterized by atom-probe tomography, ultrasmall- angle X-ray scattering, and transmission-electron microscopy. A duplex distribution of precipitates was found. It seems that ferritic superalloys are susceptible to brittle fracture. Systematic endeavors have been devoted to understanding and resolving the problem. Factors, such as hot rolling, precipitate volume fractions, alloy compositions, precipitate sizes and inter-particle spacings, and hyperfine cooling precipitates, have been investigated. In order to understand the underlying relationship between the microstructure and creep behavior of ferric alloys at elevated temperatures, in-situ neutron studies have been carried out. Based on the current result, it seems that the major role of β' with a 16%-volume fraction in strengthening ferritic alloys is not load sharing but interactions with dislocations. The oxidation behavior of one ferritic alloy, FBB8 (Fe-6.5Al-10Ni-10Cr-3.4Mo-0.25Zr-0.005B, weight percent), was studied in dry air. It is found that it possesses superior oxidation resistance at 1,023 and 1,123 K, compared with other creep-resistant ferritic steels [T91 (modified 9Cr-1Mo, weight percent) and P92 (9Cr-1.8W-0.5Mo, weight percent)]. At the same time, the calculation of the interfacial energies between the -iron and B2-type intermetallics (CoAl, FeAl, and NiAl) has been conducted.

Thermocatalytic decomposition of methane is an alternative route for the production of COx-free hydrogen and carbon nanomaterials. In this work, a set of novel Ni, Co and Febased bimetallic catalysts supported over mesoporous SBA-15 was synthesized by a facile wet impregnation route, characterized for their structural, textural and reduction properties and were successfully used for the methane decomposition. The fine dispersion of metal oxide particles on the surface of SBA-15, without affecting its mesoporous texture was clearly shown in the low angle X-ray diffraction patterns and the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. The nitrogen sorption analysis showed the reduced specific surface area and pore volume of SBA-15, after metal loading due to the partial filling of hexagonal mesopores by metal species. The results of methane decomposition experiments indicated that all of the bimetallic catalysts were highly active and stable for the reaction at 700 °C even after 300 min of time on stream (TOS). However, a maximum hydrogen yield of ∼56% was observed for the NiCo/SBA-15 catalyst within 30 min of TOS. A high catalytic stability was shown by the CoFe/SBA-15 catalyst with 51% of hydrogen yield during the course of reaction. The catalytic stability of the bimetallic catalysts was attributed to the formation of bimetallic alloys. Moreover, the deposited carbons were found to be in the form of a new set of hollow multi-walled nanotubes with open tips, indicating a base growth mechanism, which confirm the selectivity of SBA-15 supported bimetallic catalysts for the formation of open tip carbon nanotubes. The Raman spectroscopic and thermogravimetric analysis of the deposited carbon nanotubes over the bimetallic catalysts indicated their higher graphitization degree and oxidation stability.

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) coatings are used extensively on orthopaedic devices to improve the adhesion of bone to the prosthesis. This approach increases the integrity and longevity of the implanted prosthesis. Four HAp-coated hip components recovered from patients during revision surgery were investigated for bone attachment and coating modification after storage in ethanol or formaldehyde. Orthopedic components displayed preferable bone attachment on microtextured areas and little bone on smoother areas. The coating microstructure differed between three coatings that remained on the prosthesis surface, ranging from completely crystalline coatings made by vacuum plasma spraying to less crystalline coatings manufactured by air plasma spraying. Coating failure for the lower crystallinity coatings was observed by a crack at the interface that was possibly caused by the dissolution of an amorphous phase. While higher crystallinity coatings degraded by coating delamination, the lower crystallinity coating produced loose particulate on the outer coating surface. Coating morphology as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) displayed lamellae fracture, chemical dissolution, osteoclastic resorption, and precipitation in agreement with previously identified in-vitro events. The coating longevity appeared to be extended in those areas subject to lower levels of stress and more bone coverage.

The work on reliability testing of solar cells is discussed. Results are given on initial temperature and humidity tests of amorphous silicon devices. Calibration and measurement procedures for amorphous and crystalline cells are given. Temperature stress levels are diagrammed.

We present investigations on the plastic deformation behavior of a brittle bulk amorphous alloy by simple uniaxial compressive loading at room temperature. A patterning is possible by cold-plastic forming of the typically brittle Hf-based bulk amorphous alloy through controlling homogenous flow without the need for thermal energy or shaping at elevated temperatures. The experimental evidence suggests that there is an inconsistency between macroscopic plasticity and deformability of an amorphous alloy. Moreover, imprinting of specific geometrical features on Cu foil and Zr-based metallic glass is represented by using the patterned bulk amorphous alloy as a die. These results demonstrate the ability of amorphous alloys or metallic glasses to precisely replicate patterning features onto both conventional metals and the other amorphous alloys. In conclusion, our work presents an avenue for avoiding the embrittlement of amorphous alloys associated with thermoplastic forming and yields new insight the forming application of bulk amorphous alloys at room temperature without using heat treatment.

We present investigations on the plastic deformation behavior of a brittle bulk amorphous alloy by simple uniaxial compressive loading at room temperature. A patterning is possible by cold-plastic forming of the typically brittle Hf-based bulk amorphous alloy through controlling homogenous flow without the need for thermal energy or shaping at elevated temperatures. The experimental evidence suggests that there is an inconsistency between macroscopic plasticity and deformability of an amorphous alloy. Moreover, imprinting of specific geometrical features on Cu foil and Zr-based metallic glass is represented by using the patterned bulk amorphous alloy as a die. These results demonstrate the ability of amorphous alloys or metallic glasses to precisely replicate patterning features onto both conventional metals and the other amorphous alloys. Our work presents an avenue for avoiding the embrittlement of amorphous alloys associated with thermoplastic forming and yields new insight the forming application of bulk amorphous alloys at room temperature without using heat treatment. PMID:26563908

We present investigations on the plastic deformation behavior of a brittle bulk amorphous alloy by simple uniaxial compressive loading at room temperature. A patterning is possible by cold-plastic forming of the typically brittle Hf-based bulk amorphous alloy through controlling homogenous flow without the need for thermal energy or shaping at elevated temperatures. The experimental evidence suggests that there is an inconsistency between macroscopic plasticity and deformability of an amorphous alloy. Moreover, imprinting of specific geometrical features on Cu foil and Zr-based metallic glass is represented by using the patterned bulk amorphous alloy as a die. These results demonstrate the ability of amorphous alloys or metallic glasses to precisely replicate patterning features onto both conventional metals and the other amorphous alloys. Our work presents an avenue for avoiding the embrittlement of amorphous alloys associated with thermoplastic forming and yields new insight the forming application of bulk amorphous alloys at room temperature without using heat treatment. PMID:26563908

Several Fe-basedamorphous metal formulations have been identified that appear to have corrosion resistance comparable to (or better than) that of Ni-based Alloy C-22 (UNS No. N06022), based on measurements of breakdown potential and corrosion rate in seawater. Both chromium (Cr) and molybdenum (Mo) provide corrosion resistance, boron (B) enables glass formation, and rare earths such as yttrium (Y) lower critical cooling rate (CCR). SAM2X5 (Fe{sub 49.7}Cr{sub 17.7}Mn{sub 1.9}Mo{sub 7.4}W{sub 1.6}B{sub 15.2}C{sub 3.8}Si{sub 2.4}) has no yttrium, and is characterized by relatively high critical cooling rates of approximately 600 Kelvin per second. Data for the SAM2X5 formulation is reported here. In contrast to yttrium-containing iron-based amorphous metals, SAM2X5 can be readily gas atomized to produce spherical powders which enable more facile thermal spray deposition. The reference material, nickel-based Alloy C-22, is an outstanding corrosion-resistant engineering material. Even so, crevice corrosion has been observed with C-22 in hot sodium chloride environments without buffer or inhibitor. SAM2X5 also experiences crevice corrosion under sufficiently harsh conditions. Both Alloy C-22 and Type 316L stainless lose their resistance to corrosion during thermal spraying, due to the formation of deleterious intermetallic phases which depletes the matrix of key alloy elements, whereas SAM2X5 can be applied as coatings with the same corrosion resistance as a fully-dense completely amorphous melt-spun ribbon, provided that its amorphous nature is preserved during thermal spraying. The hardness of Type 316L Stainless Steel is approximately 150 VHN, that of Alloy C-22 is approximately 250 VHN, and that of HVOF SAM2X5 ranges from 1100-1300 VHN [MRS12-13]. Such hardness makes these materials particularly attractive for applications where corrosion-erosion and wear are also issues. Since SAM2X5 has high boron content, it can absorb neutrons efficiently, and may therefore find

Recent advances in layered (Fe-based and Bi-based) chalcogenides as superconductors or functional materials are reviewed. The Fe-chalcogenide (FeCh) family are the simplest Fe-based high-Tc superconductors. The superconductivity in the FeCh family is sensitive to external or chemical pressure, and high Tc is attained when the local structure (anion height) is optimized. The Bi-chalcogenide (BiCh2 ) family are a new group of layered superconductors with a wide variety of stacking structures. Their physical properties are also sensitive to external or chemical pressure. Recently, we revealed that the emergence of superconductivity and the Tc in this family correlate with the in-plane chemical pressure. Since the flexibility of crystal structure and electronic states are an advantage of the BiCh2 family for designing functionalities, I briefly review recent developments in this family as not only superconductors but also other functional materials. PMID:26821763

Gas atomization (GA) processing does not generally have a high enough cooling rate to produce the initial amorphous microstructure needed to obtain optimal magnetic properties in RE{sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B alloys. Phase separation and an underquenched microstructure result from detrimental {alpha}-Fe precipitation, and the resulting magnetic domain structure is very coarse. Additionally, there is a dramatic dependence of the magnetic properties on the cooling rate (and therefore the particle size) and the powders can be sensitive to environmental degradation. Alloy compositions designed just for GA (as opposed to melt spinning) are necessary to produce an amorphous structure that can be crystallized to result in a fine structure with magnetic properties which are independent of particle size. The addition of titanium and carbon to the melt has been found to change the solidification process sufficiently to result in an ``overquenched`` state in which most of the powder size fractions have an amorphous component. Crystallization with a brief heat treatment produces a structure which has improved magnetic properties, in part due to the ability to use compositions with higher Fe contents without {alpha}-Fe precipitation. Results from magnetometry, magnetic force microscopy, and x-ray analyses will be used to contrast the microstructure, domain structure, and magnetic properties of this new generation of amorphous powders with their multiphase predecessors.

The amorphous aggregation of proteins is associated with many phenomena, ranging from the formation of protein wine haze to the development of cataract in the eye lens and the precipitation of recombinant proteins during their expression and purification. While much literature exists describing models for linear protein aggregation, such as amyloid fibril formation, there are few reports of models which address amorphous aggregation. Here, we propose a model to describe the amorphous aggregation of proteins which is also more widely applicable to other situations where a similar process occurs, such as in the formation of colloids and nanoclusters. As first applications of the model, we have tested it against experimental turbidimetry data of three proteins relevant to the wine industry and biochemistry, namely, thaumatin, a thaumatinlike protein, and α -lactalbumin. The model is very robust and describes amorphous experimental data to a high degree of accuracy. Details about the aggregation process, such as shape parameters of the aggregates and rate constants, can also be extracted.

The effect of substituting Fe by Co on the crystallization, structural and magnetic behaviour of Fe(72-x)Co(x)Si4B20Nb4 (X = 10, 20, 36, 50 at%) and Co36Fe36Si(4-Y)Al(y)B20Nb4 (Y = 0, 1 at%) alloys prepared in the form of melt spun ribbons has been discussed. Alloys containing optimum content of cobalt = 36 at% showed consistent coercivity at elevated temperatures. This soft magnetic property was further improved with aluminium incorporation. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicated that such enhancement in the properties was due to finer dispersions of (CoFe)SiAl nanoparticles in amorphous matrix. Nanocrystallisation also raised the Curie temperature of the aluminium contained alloy. PMID:19928272

Amorphous alloys with a composition (at.%) Fe48Cr15Mo14C15B6Y2 were prepared by using either pure elements (alloy B1) or a commercial AISI430 steel as a base material (B2). When prepared from pure elements, alloy (B1) could be cast in plate form with a fixed thickness of 2 mm and variable lengths between 10 and 20 mm by means of copper-mold injection in an air atmosphere. In the case of alloy B2, prepared by using commercial grade raw materials, rods of 2 mm diameter are obtained. Ribbons (B1 and B2) of width 5 mm and thickness about 30 μm are prepared from the arc-melted ingots using a single roller melt spinner at a wheel speed of 40 m/s. The thermal and structural properties of the samples are measured by a combination of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Chemical compositions are checked by energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy observations confirm that an amorphous structure is obtained in all the samples. A minor fraction of crystalline phases (oxides and carbides) is detected on the as-cast surface. Values of hardness and Young modulus were measured by nanoindentation for both the alloys. The effects of adverse casting conditions (such as air atmosphere, non-conventional injection copper mold casting and the partial replacement of pure elements with commercial grade raw materials) on the glass formation and properties of the alloy are discussed.

Amorphous alloys with composition (at%) Fe48Cr15Mo14C15B6Gd2 (alloy A) and Fe48Cr15Mo14C15B6Y2 (alloy B) were prepared either using pure elements (A and B1) and a commercial AISI430 steel as a base material (B2). When prepared from pure elements both alloys (A and B1) could be cast in plate form with a fixed thickness of 2 mm and variable lengths between 10 and 20 mm by means of copper-mold injection in air atmosphere. In the case of alloy B2, prepared using commercial grade raw materials, rods of 2 mm diameter were obtained. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy observations confirmed that an amorphous structure was obtained in all the as-cast samples. A minor fraction of crystalline phases (oxides and carbides) was detected on the as-cast surface. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements showed a glass transition temperature at 856 K for alloy A and 841 K for alloy B1, and an onset crystallization temperature of 887 K for alloy A and 885 K for alloy B1. In the case of alloy B2 a slightly different crystallization sequence was observed. Values of hardness (∼13 GPa) and the Young modulus (∼180 GPa) were measured by nanoindentation for both the alloys. The effects of adverse casting conditions (such as air atmosphere, non-conventional injection copper mold casting and partial replacement of pure elements with commercial grade raw materials) on the glass formation and properties of the alloy are discussed.

An amorphous silicon solar cell has an active body with two or a series of layers of hydrogenated amorphous silicon arranged in a tandem stacked configuration with one optical path and electrically interconnected by a tunnel junction. The layers of hydrogenated amorphous silicon arranged in tandem configuration can have the same bandgap or differing bandgaps.

The usage of amorphous solids in practical applications, such as in medication, is commonly limited by the poor long-term stability of this state, because unwanted crystalline transitions occur. In this study, three different polymeric coatings are investigated for their ability to stabilize amorphous films of the model drug clotrimazole and to protect against thermally induced transitions. For this, drop cast films of clotrimazole are encapsulated by initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD), using perfluorodecyl acrylate (PFDA), hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and methacrylic acid (MAA). The iCVD technique operates under solvent-free conditions at low temperatures, thus leaving the solid state of the encapsulated layer unaffected. Optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction data reveal that at ambient conditions of about 22 °C, any of these iCVD layers extends the lifetime of the amorphous state significantly. At higher temperatures (50 or 70 °C), the p-PFDA coating is unable to provide protection, while the p-HEMA and p-MAA strongly reduce the crystallization rate. Furthermore, p-HEMA and p-MAA selectively facilitate a preferential alignment of clotrimazole and, interestingly, even suppress crystallization upon a temporary, rapid temperature increase (3 °C/min, up to 150 °C). The results of this study demonstrate how a polymeric coating, synthesized directly on top of an amorphous phase, can act as a stabilizing agent against crystalline transitions, which makes this approach interesting for a variety of applications. PMID:27467099

The usage of amorphous solids in practical applications, such as in medication, is commonly limited by the poor long-term stability of this state, because unwanted crystalline transitions occur. In this study, three different polymeric coatings are investigated for their ability to stabilize amorphous films of the model drug clotrimazole and to protect against thermally induced transitions. For this, drop cast films of clotrimazole are encapsulated by initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD), using perfluorodecyl acrylate (PFDA), hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and methacrylic acid (MAA). The iCVD technique operates under solvent-free conditions at low temperatures, thus leaving the solid state of the encapsulated layer unaffected. Optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction data reveal that at ambient conditions of about 22 °C, any of these iCVD layers extends the lifetime of the amorphous state significantly. At higher temperatures (50 or 70 °C), the p-PFDA coating is unable to provide protection, while the p-HEMA and p-MAA strongly reduce the crystallization rate. Furthermore, p-HEMA and p-MAA selectively facilitate a preferential alignment of clotrimazole and, interestingly, even suppress crystallization upon a temporary, rapid temperature increase (3 °C/min, up to 150 °C). The results of this study demonstrate how a polymeric coating, synthesized directly on top of an amorphous phase, can act as a stabilizing agent against crystalline transitions, which makes this approach interesting for a variety of applications. PMID:27467099

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is evolving as an attractive process for the processing of multi-component Fe-based bulk amorphous alloys and their in-situ nanocomposites with controlled primary nanocrystallization. Extended Q-range small angle neutron scattering (EQ-SANS) analysis, complemented by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, was performed to characterize nanocrystallization behavior of SPS sintered Fe-based bulk amorphous alloys. The SANS experiments show significant scattering for the samples sintered in the supercooled region indicating local structural/compositional changes associated with the profuse nucleation of nanoclusters (˜4 nm). For the samples spark plasma sintered near and above crystallization temperature (>653 °C), the SANS data show the formation of interference maximum indicating the formation and growth of (Fe,Cr)23C6 crystallites. The SANS data also indicate the evolution of bimodal crystallite distribution at higher sintering temperatures (above Tx1). The growth of primary nanocrystallites results in impingement of concentration gradient fields (soft impingement effect), leading to non-random nucleation of crystallites near the primary crystallization.

At present, the Cl-/H2S corrosion of refinery heat exchanger at low temperature has a great impact on safety production. Aimed at this problem, an amorphous state Ni-P coating was prepared by electroless plating method in this paper. The electrochemical behavior and corrosion resistance of Ni-P coating in Cl-/H2S environment were investigated by means of electrochemical equipment and autoclave, respectively. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis suggest that the Ni-P coating is amorphous state and little microporous appears on its surface. The electrochemical measurement and autoclave test results show that the corrosion resistance of Ni-P coating is superior to that of 316L stainless due to its amorphous state structure and low porosity. The corrosion rate of Ni-P coating in this Cl-/H2S environment is only 0.0011 mm/a.

Crystalline metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous frameworks comprising an infinite array of metal nodes connected by organic linkers. The number of novel MOF structures reported per year is now in excess of 6000, despite significant increases in the complexity of both component units and molecular networks. Their regularly repeating structures give rise to chemically variable porous architectures, which have been studied extensively due to their sorption and separation potential. More recently, catalytic applications have been proposed that make use of their chemical tunability, while reports of negative linear compressibility and negative thermal expansion have further expanded interest in the field. Amorphous metal-organic frameworks (aMOFs) retain the basic building blocks and connectivity of their crystalline counterparts, though they lack any long-range periodic order. Aperiodic arrangements of atoms result in their X-ray diffraction patterns being dominated by broad "humps" caused by diffuse scattering and thus they are largely indistinguishable from one another. Amorphous MOFs offer many exciting opportunities for practical application, either as novel functional materials themselves or facilitating other processes, though the domain is largely unexplored (total aMOF reported structures amounting to under 30). Specifically, the use of crystalline MOFs to detect harmful guest species before subsequent stress-induced collapse and guest immobilization is of considerable interest, while functional luminescent and optically active glass-like materials may also be prepared in this manner. The ion transporting capacity of crystalline MOFs might be improved during partial structural collapse, while there are possibilities of preparing superstrong glasses and hybrid liquids during thermal amorphization. The tuning of release times of MOF drug delivery vehicles by partial structural collapse may be possible, and aMOFs are often more mechanically robust than

Ta-Si-N coatings were prepared using reactive direct current magnetron co-sputtering on silicon substrates. When the sputtering powers and N2 flow ratio were varied, Ta-Si-N coatings exhibited various chemical compositions and crystalline characteristics. The high-Si-content Ta-Si-N coatings exhibited an amorphous phase in the as-deposited states, whereas the low-Si-content coatings exhibited a face-centered cubic phase or an amorphous phase depending on the N content. This study evaluated the application of amorphous Ta-Si-N coatings, such as the protective coatings on glass molding dies, in high-temperature and oxygen-containing atmospheres for longed operation durations. To explore the oxidation resistance and mechanical properties of the Ta-Si-N coatings, annealing treatments were conducted in a 1%O2-99%Ar atmosphere at 600 °C for 4-100 h. The material characteristics and oxidation behavior of the annealed Ta-Si-N coatings were examined using atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and a nanoindentation tester. The Si oxidized preferentially in the Ta-Si-N coatings. The in-diffusion of oxygen during 600 °C annealing was restricted by the formation of an amorphous oxide scale consisting of Si and O.

High laser-resistant anti-reflective coatings were made from an amorphous fluoropolymer (Teflon AF2400) material by physical vapor deposition. Single layers of Teflon AF2400 were thermally deposited in a vacuum chamber. Refractive index and adhesion of the coatings were determined as a function of deposition rate (2 to 20 {Angstrom}/s), substrate temperature (20 to 200C), and glow-discharge bias potential ({minus}1500 to 1500 V). An anti-reflective coating of an amorphous fluoropolymer (Teflon AF2400) had a laser resistance of > 47 J/cm{sup 2} (1.06 {mu}m, 3-ns pulselength) and is transparent from 200 nm to 1600 nm. The majority of the coatings had a 1.30 refractive index, similar to that of the bulk material. Scanning electron microscopy and preliminary nuclear magnetic resonance observations indicated that morphological changes caused the variations in the refractive index rather than compositional changes. The coatings adhered to fused silica and silicon wafers under normal laboratory handling conditions. Scotch tape with 12.6 gr/mm tension was sufficient to pull off every coating from fused silica substrates.

The method based on registration of photothermostimulated exoelectron emission (PTSE) is used in the proposed new field of investigating the structural defects in amorphous silicon (a-Si). This method can be achieved if the sample under investigation is simultaneously heated and illuminated by ultraviolet light. The mechanism of PTSE from a-Si has been studied in the case of a hydrogenized amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) film grown by glow discharge method. The electronic properties and annealing of defects were analyzed in the study. It has been shown from the results that the PTSE from a-Si:H takes place as a prethreshold single-photon external photoeffect. The exoemission spectroscopy of a-Si:H was shown to be capable in the study of thermally and optically stimulated changes in the electronic structure of defects, their annealing, as well as diffusion of atomic particles, such as hydrogen.

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) is an amorphous form of carbon which resembles diamond in its hardness, lubricity, and resistance to chemical attack. Such properties make DLC of interest for use in barrier and hard coating technology. This report examines a variety of properties of DLC coatings. This includes examining substrates on which DLC coatings can be deposited; the resistance of DLC coatings to various chemical agents; adhension of DLC coatings; and characterization of DLC coatings by electron microscopy, FTIR, sputter depth profiling, stress measurements and nanoindentation.

Method of applying a conformal coating to a highly structured substrate and devices made by the disclosed methods are disclosed. An example method includes the deposition of a substantially contiguous layer of a material upon a highly structured surface within a deposition process chamber. The highly structured surface may be associated with a substrate or another layer deposited on a substrate. The method includes depositing a material having an amorphous structure on the highly structured surface at a deposition pressure of equal to or less than about 3 mTorr. The method may also include removing a portion of the amorphous material deposited on selected surfaces and depositing additional amorphous material on the highly structured surface.

High concentrations of uranium are commonly observed in naturally occurring amorphous silica (including opal) deposits, suggesting that incorporation of U into amorphous silica may represent a natural attenuation mechanism and promising strategy for U remediation. However, the stability of uranium in opaline silicates, determined in part by the binding mechanism for U, is an important factor in its long-term fate. U may bind directly to the opaline silicate matrix, or to materials such as iron (hydr)oxides that are subsequently occluded within the opal. Here, we examine the coordination environment of U within opaline silica to elucidate incorporation mechanisms. Precipitates (with and without ferrihydrite inclusions) were synthesized from U-bearing sodium metasilicate solutions, buffered at pH ∼ 5.6. Natural and synthetic solids were analyzed with X-ray absorption spectroscopy and a suite of other techniques. In synthetic amorphous silica, U was coordinated by silicate in a double corner-sharing coordination geometry (Si at ∼ 3.8-3.9 Å) and a small amount of uranyl and silicate in a bidentate, mononuclear (edge-sharing) coordination (Si at ∼ 3.1-3.2 Å, U at ∼ 3.8-3.9 Å). In iron-bearing synthetic solids, U was adsorbed to iron (hydr)oxide, but the coordination environment also contained silicate in both edge-sharing and corner-sharing coordination. Uranium local coordination in synthetic solids is similar to that of natural U-bearing opals that retain U for millions of years. The stability and extent of U incorporation into opaline and amorphous silica represents a long-term repository for U that may provide an alternative strategy for remediation of U contamination. PMID:24984107

Rapidly quenched ribbons of Fe73Cu1Nb3Si16B7 were ball milled and cryomilled to get powder and warm consolidated to get bulk compacts. The data presented here are relative to different experimental procedures, one corresponding to milling at room temperature (sample R1) and the other corresponding to cryomilling at temperature of liquid nitrogen (sample L1). It was found that the properties of the initial powder influenced the density, the electrical resistivity and electromagnetic properties of the resulting bulk alloys. Permeability and core loss are structure sensitive and depend on factors such as powder size and shape, porosity, purity, and internal stress. Permeability spectra of sample R1 decreases with increasing the frequency and its values are larger than that for sample L1 at low frequencies. On the other hand the permeability of sample L1 remains steady up to 1 kHz and at certain frequency is larger than that for sample R1. Also there are different frequency dependences of the imaginary parts of permeability and loss factor, respectively. The cryomilling of the amorphous ribbon positively influences on the AC magnetic properties at higher frequencies (above 100 Hz) of resulting bulk sample.

The Coatings Guide is a free online information resource that focuses on alternative, low-emission coatings for metal, plastic, and architectural substrates. Developed cooperatively by the U.S. EPA's Office of Research and Development and Research Triangle Institute (RTI) Interna...

A novel pressurized hydrothermal post-plasma-spray process has been developed to convert the crystalline non-HA and amorphous components of plasma-sprayed hydroxylapatite coatings back into crystalline HA. The process, known commercially as MP-1, was used to produce coatings comprising approximately 96% crystalline HA. The in vitro solubility of the coating in saturated citric acid solution has been measured to simulate the effect of implant detoxification procedures, which use citric acid as a cleaning medium. The MP-1 coating solubility in saturated citric acid solution (pH = 1) was compared to that of coatings with crystalline HA contents ranging from 37.5-82%. All coatings showed an initial sharp rise in coating dissolution, which correlated with crystalline HA content, followed by a steady state dissolution rate. After 60 s at 25 degrees C, the MP-1 coating showed a 65% decrease in solubility compared to a highly amorphouscoating (AM-2). All coatings showed very similar steady state dissolution rates, except for AM-2, which was significantly higher. SEM analysis showed that the AM-2 coating surface was degraded substantially more than the other coatings, resulting in partial coating exfoliation. A mechanism of coating dissolution is proposed, in which the initial rapid leaching of soluble phases from the coating leaves behind a porous layer of highly crystalline HA at the coating surface. The stability of this porous crystalline layer leads to steady state, diffusion-limited dissolution of the remainder of the coating. The observed two-regime dissolution profile can be accurately represented by a 2-parameter model, which predicts the initial sharp rise in coating dissolution followed by a slower, steady state loss in coating mass. Model parameters were determined from experimental solubility data, and were shown to correlate with the percentage of crystalline HA in the coatings. The present data suggest that the treated coating is significantly more resistant

The radio frequency sputtering technique was used to deposite a hard refractory, chromium oxide coating on an Inconel X-750 foil 0.1 mm thick. Optimized sputtering parameters for a smooth and adherent coating were found to be as follows: target-to-substrate spacing, 41.3 mm; argon pressure, 5-10 mTorr; total power to the sputtering module, 400 W (voltage at the target, 1600 V), and a water-cooled substrate. The coating on the annealed foil was more adherent than that on the heat-treated foil. Substrate biasing during the sputter deposition of Cr2O3 adversely affected adherence by removing naturally occurring interfacial oxide layers. The deposited coatings were amorphous and oxygen deficient. Since amorphous materials are extremely hard, the structure was considered to be desirable.

Polymeric precursors to Si-C-O, SI-B-N and Si-C were evaluated for use as ceramic interfaces in ceramic matrix composites. Use of the preceramic polymers allows for easy dip coating of fibers from dilute solutions of a polymer, which are then pyrolyzed to obtain the ceramic. SCS-0 fibers (Textron Specialty Materials, Lowell, MA) were coated with polymers from three systems: polysilsesquioxanes, polyborosilazanes and polycarbosilanes. The polysilsesquioxane systems were shown to produce either silicon oxycarbide or silicon oxynitride, depending on the pyrolysis conditions, and demonstrated some promise in an RBSN (reaction-bonded silicon nitride) matrix model system. Polyborosilazanes were shown, in studies of bulk polymers, to give rise to oxidation resistant Si-B-N ceramics which remain amorphous to temperatures of 1600 C, and should therefore provide a low modulus interface. Polycarbosilanes produce amorphous carbon-rich Si-C materials which have demonstrated oxidation resistance.

The vapor-deposited low-density amorphous phase of H(2)O was directly compressed at 77 kelvin with a diamond-anvil cell, and the boundary between the low-density amorphous phase and the high-density amorphous phase was observed while the sample was warmed under compression. The transition from the low-density amorphous phase to the high-density amorphous phase was distinct and reversible in an apparently narrow pressure range at approximately 130 to approximately 150 kelvin, which provided experimental evidence for polymorphism in amorphous H(2)O. PMID:17742228

Nanoscale coatings of alumina are used to stabilize surfaces for a variety of technologies. Diffusion of ions through these coatings is of primary importance: in some cases, diffusion is unwanted (e.g. corrosion) and in others (e.g. electrode materials), it is necessary. In this work DFT and AIMD calculations are used to investigate Li+ ion diffusion through a nano-layer of alumina, examining the phase (alpha, gamma, and amorphous), ion concentration, and electron count dependence. We look at the role of the surface itself in promoting diffusion. One of our main findings is that as the number of ions or charge increases, the diffusivity rises. We show how our data can explain electrochemical data from coated LiCoO2 cathodes and may point toward better and more efficient coatings for stabilizing electrodes.

Subset-based local and finite-element-based (FE-based) global digital image correlation (DIC) approaches are the two primary image matching algorithms widely used for full-field displacement mapping. Very recently, the performances of these different DIC approaches have been experimentally investigated using numerical and real-world experimental tests. The results have shown that in typical cases, where the subset (element) size is no less than a few pixels and the local deformation within a subset (element) can be well approximated by the adopted shape functions, the subset-based local DIC outperforms FE-based global DIC approaches because the former provides slightly smaller root-mean-square errors and offers much higher computation efficiency. Here we investigate the theoretical origin and lay a solid theoretical basis for the previous comparison. We assume that systematic errors due to imperfect intensity interpolation and undermatched shape functions are negligibly small, and perform a theoretical analysis of the random errors or standard deviation (SD) errors in the displacements measured by two local DIC approaches (i.e., a subset-based local DIC and an element-based local DIC) and two FE-based global DIC approaches (i.e., Q4-DIC and Q8-DIC). The equations that govern the random errors in the displacements measured by these local and global DIC approaches are theoretically derived. The correctness of the theoretically predicted SD errors is validated through numerical translation tests under various noise levels. We demonstrate that the SD errors induced by the Q4-element-based local DIC, the global Q4-DIC and the global Q8-DIC are 4, 1.8-2.2 and 1.2-1.6 times greater, respectively, than that associated with the subset-based local DIC, which is consistent with our conclusions from previous work.

The transport properties of titanium dioxide (anatase polymorph) nanoparticles encapsulated by carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) were evaluated as a function of changes in the solute chemical properties in clean quartz, amorphous aluminum and iron hydroxide-coated sands. While prist...

The effects of strain rate and temperature on the dynamic behavior of Fe-based high temperature alloy was studied. The strain rates were 0.001-12,000 s(-1), at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 800 °C. A phenomenological constitutive model (Power-Law constitutive model) was proposed considering adiabatic temperature rise and accurate material thermal physical properties. During which, the effects of the specific heat capacity on the adiabatic temperature rise was studied. The constitutive model was verified to be accurate by comparison between predicted and experimental results. PMID:27186468

We synthesized the new Fe-based superconductor K0.8Fe2Se2 single crystals. The obtained single crystal exhibited a sharp superconducting transition and the onset and zero-resistivity tempera-ture were estimated to be 33 and 31.8 K, respectively. A high upper critical field of 192 T was obtained. The anisotropy of superconductivity of K0.8Fe2Se2 was ˜3.6. Both the high upper critical field and comparably low anisotropy are advantageous for applications under a high magnetic field.

In this work, amorphous and crystalline TiO2 films were synthesized by the sol-gel process at room temperature. The TiO2 films were doped with gold nanoparticles. The films were spin-coated on glass wafers. The crystalline samples were annealed at 100°C for 30 minutes and sintered at 520°C for 2 h. All films were characterized using X-ray diffraction, transmission electronic microscopy and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. Two crystalline phases, anatase and rutile, were formed in the matrix TiO2 and TiO2/Au. An absorption peak was located at 570 nm (amorphous) and 645 nm (anatase). Photoconductivity studies were performed on these films. The experimental data were fitted with straight lines at darkness and under illumination at 515 nm and 645 nm. This indicates an ohmic behavior. Crystalline TiO2/Au films are more photoconductive than the amorphous ones.

Although inorganic crystalline phosphors can exhibit high quantum efficiency, their use in phosphor films has been limited by a reliance on organic binders that have poor durability when exposed to high-power and/or high excitation energy light sources. To address this problem, Sn2+ -doped transparent phosphate films measuring several micrometers in thickness have been successfully prepared through heat treatment and a subsequent single dip-coating process. The resulting monolithic inorganic amorphous film exhibited an internal quantum efficiency of over 60% and can potentially utilize transmitted light. Analysis of the film’s emissivity revealed that its color can be tuned by changing the amount of Mn and Sn added to influence the energy transfer from Sn2+ to Mn2+. It is therefore concluded that amorphous films containing such emission centers can provide a novel and viable alternative to conventional amorphous films containing crystalline phosphors in light-emitting devices. PMID:26061744

Although inorganic crystalline phosphors can exhibit high quantum efficiency, their use in phosphor films has been limited by a reliance on organic binders that have poor durability when exposed to high-power and/or high excitation energy light sources. To address this problem, Sn(2+)-doped transparent phosphate films measuring several micrometers in thickness have been successfully prepared through heat treatment and a subsequent single dip-coating process. The resulting monolithic inorganic amorphous film exhibited an internal quantum efficiency of over 60% and can potentially utilize transmitted light. Analysis of the film's emissivity revealed that its color can be tuned by changing the amount of Mn and Sn added to influence the energy transfer from Sn(2+) to Mn(2+). It is therefore concluded that amorphous films containing such emission centers can provide a novel and viable alternative to conventional amorphous films containing crystalline phosphors in light-emitting devices. PMID:26061744

Experimental and theoretical investigations on the left-handed properties dependence versus the interwire distance of three new proposed Fe77.5Si7.5B15 glass coated microwires-based metastructures are presented. The left-handed characteristics of the metastructures were determined in the frequency range 8.2 ÷ 12 GHz and external d.c. magnetic fields ranging from 0 to 32 kA/m. The experimental results show that the electromagnetic losses of the metastructures increase with the decreasing of the interwire distance due to the increasing of the long-range dynamic dipole-dipole interaction within inter-wires in the presence of the microwave field. The numerical calculations using Nicolson-Weiss-Ross algorithm are in agreement with the experimental results. The variation of the interwire distance proves to be a useful tool to obtain metastructures with controlled left-handed characteristics.

This chapter gives a history of the development and uses of edible coating regulations, detailed chapters on coating caracteristics, determination of coating properties, methods for making coatings, and discription of coating film formers (polysaccharieds, lipids, resins, proteins). The chapter also...

Inorganic electron-selective layers (ESLs) are fabricated at extremely low temperatures of 70°C or even 25°C by a simple solution route. This is of great significance because the attained PCEs confirm the feasibility of room-temperature coating of inorganic amorphous ESLs through a solution method for the first time. PMID:26708492

The method of enhancing coercivity of isotropic Nd-Fe-B flakes using simultaneous diffusion of Dy and crystallization from the amorphous state was also applied to Nd-Fe-B powders, in this study. Metal Dy coating was synthesized on amorphous Nd2.36Fe14B1.05 powders by the vapor deposition method, and the powders were crystallized by a flash annealing. Simultaneous diffusion of Dy from their surfaces using the crystallization enhanced the coercivity of isotropic Nd-Fe-B powders. The coercivity Hc increased and the remanence Mr decreased nearly linearly with the amount of Dy, and the coating of 4.5 wt.% Dy resulted in 25.3% increase in Hc and 6.5% decrease in Mr. The decrease in Mr of the Nd-Fe-B powders is nearly the same in magnitude to that previously reported for Nd2.36Fe14B1.05 flakes, which suggests that the method of Dy diffusion using crystallization from amorphous state is applicable to Nd-Fe-B amorphous powders as well as flakes. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed that Dy coating is inhomogeneous, and a further enhancement in Hc is expected by improving the coating method.

The continuous random network (CRN) model of network glasses is widely accepted as a model for materials such as vitreous silica and amorphous silicon. Although it has been more than eighty years since the proposal of the CRN, there has not been conclusive experimental evidence of the structure of glasses and amorphous materials. This has now changed with the advent of two-dimensional amorphous materials. Now, not only the distribution of rings but the actual atomic ring structure can be imaged in real space, allowing for greater charicterization of these types of networks. This dissertation reports the first work done on the modelling of amorphous graphene and vitreous silica bilayers. Models of amorphous graphene have been created using a Monte Carlo bond-switching method and MD method. Vitreous silica bilayers have been constructed using models of amorphous graphene and the ring statistics of silica bilayers has been studied.

Disclosed is a narrow band gap amorphous silicon semiconductor comprising an alloy of amorphous silicon and a band gap narrowing element selected from the group consisting of Sn, Ge, and Pb, with an electron donor dopant selected from the group consisting of P, As, Sb, Bi and N. The process for producing the narrow band gap amorphous silicon semiconductor comprises the steps of forming an alloy comprising amorphous silicon and at least one of the aforesaid band gap narrowing elements in amount sufficient to narrow the band gap of the silicon semiconductor alloy below that of amorphous silicon, and also utilizing sufficient amounts of the aforesaid electron donor dopant to maintain the amorphous silicon alloy as an n-type semiconductor.

When hydrogen, nitrogen and CO are exposed to amorphous iron silicate surfaces at temperatures between 500 - 900K, a carbonaceous coating forms via Fischer-Tropsch type reactions. Under normal circumstances such a catalytic coating would impede or stop further reaction. However, we find that this coating is a better catalyst than the amorphous iron silicates that initiate these reactions. The formation of a self-perpetuating catalytic coating on grain surfaces could explain the rich deposits of macromolecular carbon found in primitive meteorites and would imply that protostellar nebulae should be rich in organic material. Many more experiments are needed to understand this chemical system and its application to protostellar nebulae.

Ameron International Protective Coatings Group developed a special coating for NASA that would withstand the high temperatures generated by the Space Shuttle rocket engines. The coating remains intact for at least 10 minutes, and insulates the launch pad so that it does not exceed 150 degrees and buckle. The NASA formulation was from Ameron's Engineered Siloxane (PSX) chemistry, which employs an inorganic silicon-oxygen structure which the company states is stronger and more reliable than organic polymers. Some of Ameron's PSX product line is based on the NASA technology, used for everything from industrial equipment to bridges.

Thermal spraying is shown to be an efficient means for the protection of surface areas against elevated temperature, wear, corrosion, hot gas corrosion, and erosion in structural aircraft components. Particularly in jet engines, numerous parts are coated by flame, detonation, or plasma spraying techniques. The applied methods of flame, detonation, and plasma spraying are explained, as well as electric arc spraying. Possibilities for spray coatings which meet aircraft service requirements are discussed, as well as methods for quality control, especially nondestructive test methods. In particular, coating characteristics and properties obtained by different spray methods are described, and special attention is paid to low pressure plasma spraying.

An amorphous silicon solar cell with a layer of high index of refraction material or a series of layers having high and low indices of refraction material deposited upon a transparent substrate to reflect light of energies greater than the bandgap energy of the amorphous silicon back into the solar cell and transmit solar radiation having an energy less than the bandgap energy of the amorphous silicon.

For inhalation drug delivery, amorphous powder formulations offer the benefits of increased bioavailability for poorly soluble drugs, improved biochemical stability for biologics, and expanded options of using various drugs and their combinations. However, amorphous formulations usually have poor physicochemical stability. This review focuses on inhalable amorphous powders, including the production methods, the active pharmaceutical ingredients and the excipients with a highlight on stabilization of the particles. PMID:26780404

Mullite is promising as a protective coating for silicon-based ceramics in aggressive high-temperature environments. Conventionally plasma-sprayed mullite on SiC tends to crack and debond on thermal cycling. It is shown that this behavior is due to the presence of amorphous mullite in the conventionally sprayed mullite. Heating the SiC substrate during the plasma spraying eliminated the amorphous phase and produced coatings with dramatically improved properties. The new coating exhibits excellent adherence and crack resistance under thermal cycling between room temperature and 1000 to 1400 C. Preliminary tests showed good resistance to Na2CO3-induced hot corrosion.

Strongly adhering films of silicon are deposited directly on such materials as Pyrex and Vycor (or equivalent materials) and aluminum by a non-equilibrium plasma jet. Amorphous silicon films are formed by decomposition of silicon tetrachloride or trichlorosilane in the plasma. Plasma-jet technique can also be used to deposit an adherent silicon film on aluminum from silane and to dope such films with phosphorus. Ability to deposit silicon films on such readily available, inexpensive substrates could eventually lead to lower cost photovoltaic cells.

The present invention involves methods and compositions for synthesizing catalysts/porous materials. In some embodiments, the resulting materials are amorphous sulfide sieves that can be mass-produced for a variety of uses. In some embodiments, methods of the invention concern any suitable precursor (such as thiomolybdate salt) that is exposed to a high pressure pre-compaction, if need be. For instance, in some cases the final bulk shape (but highly porous) may be same as the original bulk shape. The compacted/uncompacted precursor is then subjected to an open-flow hot isostatic pressing, which causes the precursor to decompose and convert to a highly porous material/catalyst.

Metallic glasses exhibit metastable structure and maintain this relatively stable amorphous state within certain temperature range. High intensity laser beam was used for the surface irradiation of Fe-Co-B-Si-Nb bulk metallic glasses. The variable parameter was laser beam pulse energy. For the analysis of structure and properties of bulk metallic glasses and their surface after laser remelting the X-ray analysis, microscopic observation and test of mechanical properties were carried out. Examination of the nanostructure of amorphous materials obtained by high pressure copper mold casting method and the irradiated with the use of TITAN 80-300 HRTEM was carried out. Nanohardness and reduced Young's modulus of particular amorphous and amorphous-crystalline material zone of the laser beam were examined with the use of Hysitron TI950 Triboindenter nanoindenter and with the use of Berkovich's indenter. The XRD and microscopic analysis showed that the test material is amorphous in its structure before irradiation. Microstructure observation with electron transmission microscopy gave information about alloy crystallization in the irradiated process. Identification of given crystal phases allows to determine the kind of crystal phases created in the first place and also further changes of phase composition of alloy. The main value of the nanohardness of the surface prepared by laser beam has the order of magnitude similar to bulk metallic glasses formed by casting process irrespective of the laser beam energy used. Research results analysis showed that the area between parent material and fusion zone is characterized by extraordinarily interesting structure which is and will be the subject of further analysis in the scope of bulk metallic glasses amorphous structure and high energy concentration source. The main goal of this work is the results' presentation of structure and chosen properties of the selected bulk metallic glasses after casting process and after irradiation

The effects of heavy rare earth (RE) additions on the Curie temperature (T{sub C}) and magnetocaloric effect of the Fe-RE-B-Nb (RE = Gd, Dy and Ho) bulk metallic glasses were studied. The type of dopping RE element and its concentration can easily tune T{sub C} in a large temperature range of 120 K without significantly decreasing the magnetic entropy change (ΔS{sub M}) and refrigerant capacity (RC) of the alloys. The observed values of ΔS{sub M} and RC of these alloys compare favorably with those of recently reported Fe-based metallic glasses with enhanced RC compared to Gd{sub 5}Ge{sub 1.9}Si{sub 2}Fe{sub 0.1}. The tunable T{sub C} and large glass-forming ability of these RE doped Fe-based bulk metallic glasses can be used in a wide temperature range with the final required shapes.

A radome at Logan Airport and a large parabolic antenna at the Wang Building in Massachusetts are protected from weather, corrosion and ultraviolet radiation by a coating, specially designed for antennas and radomes, known as CRC Weathertite 6000. The CRC 6000 line that emerged from Boyd Coatings Research Co., Inc. is a solid dispersion of fluorocarbon polymer and polyurethane that yields a tough, durable film with superior ultraviolet resistance and the ability to repel water and ice over a long term. Additionally, it provides resistance to corrosion, abrasion, chemical attacks and impacts. Material can be used on a variety of substrates, such as fiberglass, wood, plastic and concrete in addition to steel and aluminum. In addition Boyd Coatings sees CRC 6000 applicability as an anti-icing system coated on the leading edge of aircraft wings.

Inorganic Coatings, Inc.'s K-Zinc 531 protective coating is water-based non-toxic, non-flammable and has no organic emissions. High ratio silicate formula bonds to steel, and in 30 minutes, creates a very hard ceramic finish with superior adhesion and abrasion resistance. Improved technology allows application over a minimal commercial sandblast, fast drying in high humidity conditions and compatibility with both solvent and water-based topcoats. Coating is easy to apply and provides long term protection with a single application. Zinc rich coating with water-based potassium silicate binder offers cost advantages in materials, labor hours per application, and fewer applications over a given time span.

In recent years amorphous carbon coatings found growing interest because of their optical and protective properties. We have deposited hydrogenated amorphous carbon films (a-C:H) from an RF excited discharge in benzene vapour. Substrates include germanium, glass and MgF2. The refractive index can be tuned between 1.8 and 2.2 and efficient antireflection coatings on Ge have been prepared. We have determined the optical absorption from the UV to the IR range (0.2 - 25 μm). A typical 1 µm thick a-C:H film is transparent (> 50% transmission) from 750 nm to the far infrared. Amorphous carbon films are harder than sapphire and are resistant to concentrated acids and bases.

The main goal of the work was to elaborate low thrombogenicity of surface inside tube-like elements for cardiovascular system support by combination of low-temperature glow discharge and hydrogel coatings to inhibit blood-clotting cascade activation. A large share of amorphous phase silicon was observed in the microstructure analysis. The crystalline elements were uniformly distributed in the amorphous structure. Combination of low thickness, the proper microstructure and density of the coatings provided a highly flexible nature of the whole system. The blood-material interaction was analyzed in vitro in dynamic conditions by using a designed and fabricated novel blood flow simulator. Coatings deposited by the glow discharge expressed good hemocopatibile properties. The use of hydrogel coatings did not reduce coagulation parameter. Hydrogel coatings did not improve the hemocompatibility of the surface modified with carbon based coatings. Modification of surface with hydrogel resulted in further increased risk of hemolysis.

Bacillus spores are encased in a multilayer, proteinaceous self-assembled coat structure that assists in protecting the bacterial genome from stresses and consists of at least 70 proteins. The elucidation of Bacillus spore coat assembly, architecture, and function is critical to determining mechanisms of spore pathogenesis, environmental resistance, immune response, and physicochemical properties. Recently, genetic, biochemical and microscopy methods have provided new insight into spore coat architecture, assembly, structure and function. However, detailed spore coat architecture and assembly, comprehensive understanding of the proteomic composition of coat layers, and specific roles of coat proteins in coat assembly and their precise localization within the coat remain in question. In this study, atomic force microscopy was used to probe the coat structure of Bacillus subtilis wild type and cotA, cotB, safA, cotH, cotO, cotE, gerE, and cotE gerE spores. This approach provided high-resolution visualization of the various spore coat structures, new insight into the function of specific coat proteins, and enabled the development of a detailed model of spore coat architecture. This model is consistent with a recently reported four-layer coat assembly and further adds several coat layers not reported previously. The coat is organized starting from the outside into an outermost amorphous (crust) layer, a rodlet layer, a honeycomb layer, a fibrous layer, a layer of “nanodot” particles, a multilayer assembly, and finally the undercoat/basement layer. We propose that the assembly of the previously unreported fibrous layer, which we link to the darkly stained outer coat seen by electron microscopy, and the nanodot layer are cotH- and cotE- dependent and cotE-specific respectively. We further propose that the inner coat multilayer structure is crystalline with its apparent two-dimensional (2D) nuclei being the first example of a non-mineral 2D nucleation crystallization

This report discusses the results of probing the defect structure and bonding of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films using both nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron spin resonance (ESR). The doping efficiency of boron in a-Si:H was found to be less than 1%, with 90% of the boron in a threefold coordinated state. On the other hand, phosphorus NMR chemical shift measurements yielded a ration of threefold to fourfold P sites of roughly 4 to 1. Various resonance lines were observed in heavily boron- and phosphorus-doped films and a-SiC:H alloys. These lines were attributed to band tail states on twofold coordinated silicon. In a-SiC:H films, a strong resonance was attributed to dangling bonds on carbon atoms. ESR measurements on low-pressure chemical-vapor-deposited (LPCVD) a-Si:H were performed on samples. The defect density in the bulk of the films was 10/sup 17//cc with a factor of 3 increase at the surface of the sample. The ESR spectrum of LPCVD-prepared films was not affected by prolonged exposure to strong light. Microcrystalline silicon samples were also examined. The phosphorus-doped films showed a strong signal from the crystalline material and no resonance from the amorphous matrix. This shows that phosphorus is incorporated in the crystals and is active as a dopant. No signal was recorded from the boron-doped films.

It is known that the room-temperature plastic deformation of bulk metallic glasses is compromised by strain softening and shear localization, resulting in near-zero tensile ductility. The incorporation of metallic glasses into engineering materials, therefore, is often accompanied by complete brittleness or an apparent loss of useful tensile ductility. Here we report the observation of an exceptional tensile ductility in crystalline copper/copper-zirconium glass nanolaminates. These nanocrystalline-amorphous nanolaminates exhibit a high flow stress of 1.09 +/- 0.02 GPa, a nearly elastic-perfectly plastic behavior without necking, and a tensile elongation to failure of 13.8 +/- 1.7%, which is six to eight times higher than that typically observed in conventional crystalline-crystalline nanolaminates (<2%) and most other nanocrystalline materials. Transmission electron microscopy and atomistic simulations demonstrate that shear banding instability no longer afflicts the 5- to 10-nm-thick nanolaminate glassy layers during tensile deformation, which also act as high-capacity sinks for dislocations, enabling absorption of free volume and free energy transported by the dislocations; the amorphous-crystal interfaces exhibit unique inelastic shear (slip) transfer characteristics, fundamentally different from those of grain boundaries. Nanoscale metallic glass layers therefore may offer great benefits in engineering the plasticity of crystalline materials and opening new avenues for improving their strength and ductility. PMID:17592136

The passive film stability of several Fe-basedamorphous metal formulations have been found to be comparable to that of high-performance Ni-based alloys, and superior to that of stainless steels, based on electrochemical measurements of the passive film breakdown potential and general corrosion rates. Chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo) and tungsten (W) provide corrosion resistance; boron (B) enables glass formation; and rare earths such as yttrium (Y) lower critical cooling rate (CCR). The high boron content of this particular amorphous metal also makes it an effective neutron absorber, and suitable for criticality control applications, as discussed in companion publications. Corrosion data for SAM2X5 (Fe{sub 49.7}Cr{sub 17.7}Mn{sub 1.9}Mo{sub 7.4}W{sub 1.6}B{sub 15.2}C{sub 3.8}Si{sub 2.4}) is discussed here. (authors)

Pseudowollastonite (alpha-CaSiO3) is a bioactive ceramic material that induces direct bone growth. A process to obtain pseudowollastonite coatings that may be applied to implants is described and evaluated in this work. The coatings were first deposited on titanium alloy by laser ablation with a pulsed Nd:YAG laser tripled in frequency. After deposition, they were submitted to a soft laser treatment with a continuous wave Nd:YAG infrared laser. Coatings were characterised by X-ray diffractometry, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy before and after the laser treatment. As-deposited coatings are composed of pseudowollastonite and amorphous material. They have a porous structure of gathered grains and poor cohesion. After the laser treatment the coatings crystallinity and cohesion are improved. The laser treatment also makes the coatings dense and well adhered to the substrate. Therefore, this two-step process has been demonstrated as a valuable method to coat titanium implants with pseudowollastonite. PMID:11996047

The process comprises placing an amorphous metal in particulate form and a low molecular weight (e.g., 1000-5000) thermosetting polymer binder powder into a container, mixing these materials, and applying heat and pressure to convert the mixture into an amorphous metal composite.

Measurements of tunnel conductance versus bias, capacitance versus bias, and internal photoemission were made in the systems aluminum-oxide-amorphous germanium and aluminium-oxide-amorphous silicon. A function was extracted which expresses the deviation of these systems from the aluminium-oxide-aluminium system.

Nucleation and growth of crystalline films of silicon, germanium, and cadmium sulfide on substrates of plastic and glass were investigated. Amorphous films of germanium, silicon, and cadmium sulfide on amorphous substrates of glass and plastic were converted to the crystalline condition by electron bombardment.

We present investigations on the plastic deformation behavior of a brittle bulk amorphous alloy by simple uniaxial compressive loading at room temperature. A patterning is possible by cold-plastic forming of the typically brittle Hf-based bulk amorphous alloy through controlling homogenous flow without the need for thermal energy or shaping at elevated temperatures. The experimental evidence suggests that there is an inconsistency between macroscopic plasticity and deformability of an amorphous alloy. Moreover, imprinting of specific geometrical features on Cu foil and Zr-based metallic glass is represented by using the patterned bulk amorphous alloy as a die. These results demonstrate the abilitymore » of amorphous alloys or metallic glasses to precisely replicate patterning features onto both conventional metals and the other amorphous alloys. In conclusion, our work presents an avenue for avoiding the embrittlement of amorphous alloys associated with thermoplastic forming and yields new insight the forming application of bulk amorphous alloys at room temperature without using heat treatment.« less

We investigate theoretically amorphous hafnia using the first principles melt and quench method. We identify two types of amorphous structures of hafnia. Type I and type II are related to tetragonal and monoclinic hafnia, respectively. We find type II structure to show stronger disorder than type I. Using the phonon density of states, we calculate the specific heat capacity for type II amorphous hafnia. Using the nudged elastic band method, we show that the averaged transition barrier between the type II amorphous hafnia and monoclinic phase is approximately 0.09 eV/HfO2. The crystallization temperature is estimated to be 421 K. The calculations suggest an explanation for the low thermal stability of amorphous hafnia.

We discuss how structural disorder and amorphization affect solid-state diffusion, and consider zirconolite as a currently important case study. By performing extensive molecular dynamics simulations, we disentangle the effects of amorphization and density, and show that a profound increase of solid-state diffusion takes place as a result of amorphization. Importantly, this can take place at the same density as in the crystal, representing an interesting general insight regarding solid-state diffusion. We find that decreasing the density in the amorphous system increases pre-factors of diffusion constants, but does not change the activation energy in the density range considered. We also find that atomic species in zirconolite are affected differently by amorphization and density change. Our microscopic insights are relevant for understanding how solid-state diffusion changes due to disorder and for building predictive models of operation of materials to be used to encapsulate nuclear waste.

This paper provides the first known observation of silicon carbide fully amorphized under neutron irradiation. Both high purity single crystal hcp and high purity, highly faulted (cubic) chemically vapor deposited (CVD) SiC were irradiated at approximately 60 C to a total fast neutron fluence of 2.6 {times} 10{sup 25} n/m{sup 2}. Amorphization was seen in both materials, as evidenced by TEM, electron diffraction, and x-ray diffraction techniques. Physical properties for the amorphized single crystal material are reported including large changes in density ({minus}10.8%), elastic modulus as measured using a nanoindentation technique ({minus}45%), hardness as measured by nanoindentation ({minus}45%), and standard Vickers hardness ({minus}24%). Similar property changes are observed for the critical temperature for amorphization at this neutron dose and flux, above which amorphization is not possible, is estimated to be greater than 130 C.

We investigate theoretically amorphous hafnia using the first principles melt and quench method. We identify two types of amorphous structures of hafnia. Type I and type II are related to tetragonal and monoclinic hafnia, respectively. We find type II structure to show stronger disorder than type I. Using the phonon density of states, we calculate the specific heat capacity for type II amorphous hafnia. Using the nudged elastic band method, we show that the averaged transition barrier between the type II amorphous hafnia and monoclinic phase is approximately 0.09 eV/HfO{sub 2}. The crystallization temperature is estimated to be 421 K. The calculations suggest an explanation for the low thermal stability of amorphous hafnia.

Three amorphous Ti1- x Mn x alloy powders, with x = 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6, were prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) of the elemental powders in a high-energy ball mill. The amorphous powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission elec- tron microscopy (HRTEM). The crystallization temperatures for these alloys detected by dif- ferential scanning calorimetry (DSC) varied from 769 to 830 K. The calculated enthalpies of mixing in these amorphous phases are relatively small compared with those for other Ti-base binary alloys. The criteria for solid-state amorphization reaction are examined. It is suggested that the kinetics of nucleation and growth favors the formation of the amorphous phases and the supply of atoms for nucleation and growth is predominantly through the defective regions induced by MA.

Advances in materials technology have demonstrated that it is possible to get the advantages of diamond in a number of applications without the cost penalty, by coating and chemically bonding an inexpensive substrate with a thin film of diamond-like carbon (DLC). Diamond films offer tremendous technical and economic potential in such advances as chemically inert protective coatings; machine tools and parts capable of resisting wear 10 times longer; ball bearings and metal cutting tools; a broad variety of optical instruments and systems; and consumer products. Among the American companies engaged in DLC commercialization is Diamonex, Inc., a diamond coating spinoff of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. Along with its own proprietary technology for both polycrystalline diamond and DLC coatings, Diamonex is using, under an exclusive license, NASA technology for depositing DLC on a substrate. Diamonex is developing, and offering commercially, under the trade name Diamond Aegis, a line of polycrystalline diamond-coated products that can be custom tailored for optical, electronic and engineering applications. Diamonex's initial focus is on optical products and the first commercial product is expected in late 1990. Other target applications include electronic heat sink substrates, x-ray lithography masks, metal cutting tools and bearings.

A systematic study of the effect of depositing CoFe₂O₄ (CFO) films of various thicknesses (d = 0–600 nm) on the giant magneto-impedance (GMI) response of a soft ferromagnetic amorphous ribbon Co₆₅Fe₄Ni₂Si₁₅B₁₄ has been performed. The CFO films were grown on the amorphous ribbons by the pulsed laser deposition technique. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy revealed a structural variation of the CFO film from amorphous to polycrystalline as the thickness of the CFO film exceeded a critical value of 300 nm. Atomic force microscopy evidenced the increase in surface roughness of the CFO film as the thickness of the CFO film was increased. These changes in the crystallinity and morphology of the CFO film were found to have a distinct impact on the GMI response of the ribbon. Relative to the bare ribbon, coating of amorphous CFO films significantly enhanced the GMI response of the ribbon, while polycrystalline CFO films decreased it considerably. The maximum GMI response was achieved near the onset of the structural transition of the CFO film. These findings are of practical importance in developing high-sensitivity magnetic sensors.

Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition was used to deposit silicon nitride on graphite-fiber-reinforced polyimide composites to protect against oxidation at elevated temperatures. The adhesion and integrity of the coating were evaluated by isothermal aging (371 C for 500 hr) and thermal cycling. The amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiN:H) coating could withstand stresses ranging from approximately 0.18 GPa (tensile) to -1.6 GPa (compressive) and provided a 30 to 80 percent reduction in oxidation-induced weight loss. The major factor influencing the effectiveness of a-SiN:H as a barrier coating against oxidation is the surface finish of the polymer composite.

This paper investigates the electrical properties of the coating based on Ti-C-B system. The coating was obtained by vacuum-arc method by spraying of multi compound cathode prepared by reactive hot pressing of Ti, carbon black and amorphous B powder mixture. The electrical conductivity of the coating was measured in temperature range of 10-320 K which was about σ = 4.8 · 103 Ω-1 cm-1 in the entire temperature range. The carrier concentration measured was about n = 1 · 1022 cm-3. The charge carriers' mobility varies between 10 and -7 and changes sign at temperature about T = 225 K.

Thermal noise associated with the dielectric optical coatings used to form the mirrors of interferometric gravitational wave detectors is expected to be an important limit to the sensitivity of future detectors. Improvements in detector performance are likely to require coating materials of lower mechanical dissipation. Typically, current coatings use multiple alternating layers of ion-beam-sputtered amorphous silica and tantalum pentoxide (doped with titania). We present here measurements of the mechanical dissipation of promising alternative crystalline coatings that use multi-layers of single crystal gallium phosphide (GaP) and aluminium gallium phosphide (AlGaP) that are epitaxially grown and lattice matched to a silicon substrate. Analysis shows that the dissipation of the crystalline coating materials appears to be significantly lower than that of the currently used amorphouscoatings, potentially enabling a reduction of coating thermal noise in future gravitational wave detectors.

This report describes research on semiconductor and non-semiconductor materials to enhance the performance of multi-band-gap, multijunction panel with an area greater than 900 cm[sup 2] by 1992. Double-junction and triple-junction cells are mode on a Ag/ZnO back reflector deposited on stainless steel substrates. An a-SiGe alloy is used for the i-layer in the bottom and the middle cells; the top cell uses an amorphous silicon alloy. After the evaporation of an antireflection coating, silver grids and bus bars are put on the top surface and the panel is encapsulated in an ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)/Tefzel structure to make a 1-ft[sup 2] monolithic module.